Lakers Favored By 1 Point in OKC With Anthony Davis Questionable

• Anthony Davis missed Friday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks 
• The Los Angeles Lakers have won seven on the bounce
• Get the odds, our pick, and all the info you need to bet the game below

The Los Angeles Lakers head to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Saturday January 11th. The Lakers are on a seven-game winning streak, putting them 4.5 clear at the top of the Western Conference. Despite a run of 8-2 over their last 10, the Thunder are 1-point underdogs in the latest Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder odds. Oklahoma City is currently seventh in the West, only one game behind the sixth-placed Mavericks.

Anthony Davis, who suffered a bruised Gluteus Maximus last week, is questionable for the game. Davis sat out the Lakers’ Friday night win over Dallas. His probable absence from this game has obviously impacted the Lakers’ odds.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Odds

Odds taken Jan. 11.

Thunder Challenge Lakers’ Depth

The two teams met twice in three days back in November with the Lakers coming out victorious on both occasions. Davis scored 77 points across the two games. Neither win was a blowout, and the first of the two games was a good example of LA’s lack of scoring depth. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the third-highest scorer, behind LeBron James and Davis. No other player made it into double figures.

This has been a concern all season for the Lakers, and one they will look to address before the trade deadline. Kyle Kuzma is the only non-superstar averaging more than 10 points per game, and despite a 26-point outing from Kuzma against Dallas on Friday, he’s not a reliable third option. He scored just four points against Detroit on January 5th and didn’t score against the Mavericks on December 29th.

Pressure on Kuzma, Caldwell-Pope and the rest of the Lakers’ roster inevitably increases when Davis is absent. If Frank Vogel’s team wants to extend their winning streak Saturday night, they need productive games from the supporting cast. The Thunder defense – which ranks sixth in the NBA over the last five games – will look to stop James and force the others to beat them.

OKC in Form

With seven wins from their last eight, the Thunder are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They have had an extra day of rest compared to the Lakers, with their last game coming on Thursday against the Houston Rockets. All the attention was on Russell Westbrook’s return, but the Thunder were the ones that impressed in a comfortable win. Their defense was superb, keeping James Harden to just 17 points on the night.

Oklahoma City have been a surprise package this season. Billy Donovan’s three-guard line-ups featuring Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder are dominating opponents and Danilo Gallinari is shooting almost 40% from three-point range. They don’t have an obvious defensive matchup for James, but they have the athleticism to make it difficult for the Lakers’ perimeter players and Steven Adams will be relishing a duel with JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard.

Back the Hosts

Considering the Lakers’ two wins over OKC earlier in the season came by a combined eight points, this line looks like a good bet for the Thunder. On/off numbers aren’t all that kind to Davis, and the Lakers just beat Dallas without him, but neither of those factors should distract from how big a loss he is on both ends of the floor.

"Great team effort." –@CP3 pic.twitter.com/kn6UffltWq

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 10, 2020

The Thunder have more offensive options than the Lakers. Schroder is averaging 18.4 points per game and will have a significant role to play off the bench. This could be decided by the depth of scoring, and that’s a battle the Thunder should win.

Pick: Thunder +1 (-110)