Thunder vs Lakers Odds and Picks – August 5

• The Lakers are 6-point favorites against the Thunder on Wednesday night
• Los Angeles is 2-1 in the Orlando bubble, while OKC is just 1-1
• Read below for a deeper look at the odds, spread and picks in this important Western Conference matchup

The NBA restart is now in full swing, and one of its most intriguing matchups will take place on Thursday night. LeBron James and co. will take on Chris Paul and Oklahoma City – with Los Angeles a 6-point favorite in the Lakers vs Thunder odds.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Los Angeles Lakers Odds

Odds taken Aug. 5th

James Hasn’t Been Lakers’ King During Restart

Through three games in the bubble, things have gone well for Los Angeles, to the tune of a 2-1 record with wins over two Western Conference playoff teams. That success hasn’t been surprising. What has been interesting has been the way they’ve done it.

In those three matchups, LeBron James has posted point totals of just 16, 20, and 22. His other statistical numbers have fallen in line, still productive but not at the level that we’ve typically seen from LeBron.

Instead, the star has been Anthony Davis. Against the Clippers, Davis had 34 points, and was even better against Rudy Gobert and Utah with 42. Thursday’s game will feature another great big man matchup, with Davis likely set go toe-to-toe with the Thunder’s Steven Adams.

Thunder Look to Get Rolling Again

Billy Donovan’s OKC squad has split its first two games in the bubble, but they’re in prime position to re-enter the win column on Thursday. They’ve played well in the two games, and the offense is running just as smoothly as before the hiatus.

A trademark of that offense has been a balanced attack. In these two games, Chris Paul has posted 18 and 23 points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has 19 and 24, and Danilo Gallinari has scored 15 and 20.

Gilgeous-Alexander is the player that has been especially impressive. In just his second season, he’s already emerging into one of the league’s next tremendous point guards under the tutelage of the veteran Chris Paul. That growth was highlighted by a 14-point fourth quarter against Denver.

Lots to Overcome for OKC

While OKC has been playing well, they do have quite a bit to overcome on Thursday. The biggest of those obstacles is the absence of point guard Dennis Schroeder, who left the bubble for the birth of his son. That’s 19 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds per night that the Thunder have to replace for the immediate future.

Additionally, Mike Muscala missed the Nuggets game with concussion symptoms, and Terrance Ferguson missed with a leg contusion. That adds up to a key bench player at guard, forward, and center that OKC is without.

The biggest question regarding OKC is where they will go to replace those role players that are missing. The answer isn’t extremely encouraging. Abdel Nader is the guy likely to fill the void left by Dennis Schroeder, and his stat line of 6 points and less than one steal, assist, and block per game.

Down low, the void left by Muscala is just as big. The Thunder still do have Adams and Nerlens Noel than can defend the rim, but that is the end of that list. With James, Davis, Dwight Howard, and Javale McGee, the Lakers have a rotation of big men that they will be able to throw at the Thunder for 60 straight minutes.

Pick: LAL -6 (-110)