OKC Thunder vs LA Lakers Match Preview, Prediction, Betting Odds & Spreads - April 8th, 2022 | NBA Season 2021-22
The OKC Thunder will close their 2021-22 season in California, starting with a game against the LA Lakers on Friday at Crypto.com Arena. OKC is improbably leading the season series 2-1 and could clinch it in their final meeting.
Head coach Mark Daigneault’s team is headed to the lottery yet again and will be using their remaining two games to give exposure to their young roster. They were pummeled by the playoff-bound Utah Jazz in their last game but have found another potential diamond in the rough in rookie Jaylen Hoard.
Hoard has shown impressive form and could become another important piece in General Manager Sam Presti’s jigsaw puzzle.
The Lakers’ disastrous season is about to come to a merciful end. LA will play their last game at Crypto.com Arena before they pack up and finish their campaign on the road against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
Back to LA.
@Thortontucker: 40 pts (career high), 4 stl
@AhmadMonk: 24 pts, 7 reb
@DwightHoward: 16 pts, 12 reb https://t.co/ii6SXV66TD
Without the superstar trio of LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis, the Lakers lost their eighth consecutive game.
Talen Horton-Tucker scored a career-high 40 points against the Golden State Warriors but could not lead the undermanned LA team to a win.
Match Details
Fixture: OKC Thunder vs LA Lakers | 2021-22 NBA season
Date & Time: Friday, April 8; 10:30 PM ET (Thursday, April 9; 9:00 AM IST)
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
OKC Thunder Preview
![The Thunder will only get better next season. [Photo: NBA.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/04/dbb7d-16494128640394-1920.jpg)
The OKC Thunder are decimated by injuries, which will give them an even better excuse to test their young lineup. They are somewhat in a win-win situation as they give their youthful group valuable NBA experience while also increasing their chances of better draft positioning.
Despite their inexperience and disadvantage in talent, the Thunder stayed relatively close to the Utah Jazz until they were left in the dust in the fourth quarter.
Rookie Jaylen Hoard had another spectacular game, finishing with 23 points on 8-17 shooting from the field, including 5-8 from long distance.
OKC Thunder Predicted Lineup
G - Zavier Simpson | G - Vit Krejci | F - Georgios Kalaitzakis | F - Jaylen Hoard | C - Isaiah Roby
LA Lakers Preview
In hindsight, the LA Lakers’ catastrophic season could have started when they suffered back-to-back humiliating losses to the OKC Thunder earlier in the season.
The Thunder had no business winning those games, and yet they did. OKC refused to give up and stunned LA despite surrendering huge leads to the star-studded squad.
LeBron James wasn’t around in those two losses, but the Lakers had a healthy Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Those defeats were taken as minor blips owing to a lack of chemistry when there were already signs of how dysfunctional the team will be this season.
"1, 2, 3... Cancun!" 😂🌴
Lakers are heading to the offseason
(via @NBAonTNT)
https://t.co/eNgQLvvt8f
It’ll be interesting to see how the LA Lakers play their last home game in front of a testy home crowd who have regularly booed and heckled them this season.
LA Lakers Predicted Lineup
G - Talen Horton-Tucker | G - Malik Monk | F - Austin Reaves | F - Stanley Johnson | C - Dwight Howard
OKC Thunder vs LA Lakers Betting Odds & Spreads - April 8, 2022
The OKC Thunder lineup is probably unrecognizable to casual fans and non-Thunder followers. Without their top players like Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they are rolling out some interesting lineups. They will obviously be the heavy underdogs against the LA Lakers.
The OKC Thunder starting lineup 💀 https://t.co/6PlwqYZiwP
The Lakers, without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, will be playing the second night of a back-to-back. History shows that although they are the odds-on favorites to win, they should never count out the gutsy Thunder.
Odds sourced from DraftKings SB
OKC Thunder vs LA Lakers Betting Tips
OKC Thunder Betting Tips
- Oklahoma is 9-3 against the spread in their last 12 games.
- The Thunder are 4-1 against the spread in their last five matches against the Lakers.
- The Thunder are only 1-6 in their last seven games away from their home floor.
Click here to bet against the odds on the OKC Thunder
LA Lakers Betting Tips
- LA is only 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 14 of LA Lakers' last 19 games against an opponent in the Northwest Division division.
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Lakers' last six games played in April.
Click here to bet on the OVER/UNDER total points
Thunder vs Lakers Match Prediction
Both teams may just be ready to pack it in for the summer since they don’t have much to play for. The Lakers, based on a little edge in manpower, could end their eight-game losing run.
- Oklahoma City is 6-0 against the spread in their last six matches versus the Lakers on the road.
- LA is 2-9 against the spread in their last 11 games versus Western Conference opponents.
- The Lakers are only 1-4 straight up in their last 5 Crypto.com Arena games.
Click here to bet on DraftKings SB for the outcome of the game between the OKC Thunder and LA Lakers
Where to watch the OKC Thunder vs LA Lakers game
The NBA League Pass will stream the game live. Local coverage of the matchup is available via Spectrum SportsNet and Bally Sports Oklahoma.