Oklahoma City Thunder vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 3/24/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Friday, March 24, 2023

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Spectrum Sportsnet

Crypto.com Arena is the site where the Los Angeles Lakers will go up against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

The Thunder faced the Clippers and took home the win by a score of 101-100 in their last contest. Oklahoma City finished having earned a 41.9% FG percentage (39 of 93) and made 10 out of their 37 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Thunder converted 13 of 14 attempts for a rate of 92.9%. Pertaining to rebounding, they collected a total of 47 with 12 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 19 dimes for this game while forcing 13 turnovers and having 2 steals. In relation to defense, Oklahoma City allowed their opponent to shoot 47.7% from the field on 41 out of 86 shooting. Los Angeles earned 21 dimes and had 9 steals for the contest. In addition, Los Angeles snagged 46 rebounds (12 offensive, 34 defensive) and had 4 rejections. Los Angeles ended up shooting 57.1% at the charity stripe by making 12 of 21 attempts. They also converted 6 of 31 shots from beyond the perimeter. In regard to fouls, the Thunder walked away with 21 while the Clippers accounted for 21 fouls.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one player who was a major contributor for the contest. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 48.0% from the floor and also recorded 4 assists. He saw the court for 36 mins played and also snagged 7 rebounds. He recorded 31 points on 12 of 25 shooting.

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Oklahoma City will play this contest with a win-loss mark of 36-36 so far this season. They are giving up possession 13.3 times per game and as a group are committing 21.1 fouls every game. As a unit, Oklahoma City is snagging 43.8 boards per contest and has accounted for 1,766 assists so far this season, which is 20th in the league in terms of passing the rock. The Thunder are shooting 36.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (882 of 2,453) and 80.7% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 117.6 points per outing (5th in basketball) while shooting 46.7% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Thunder have forced 17.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.4 personal fouls. They are 14th in the league in giving up assists with 1,858 relinquished for the season. The Thunder defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 47.0% (2,998 of 6,372) and they surrender 46.7 rebounds per game as a group. They surrender 35.8% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 19th in the NBA in PPG from their opponents (116.2).

In their last game, the Lakers got the victory with a final of 122-111 when they faced the Suns. When it comes to attacking the glass, Los Angeles permitted Phoenix to snag 39 overall (12 on the offensive side). They finished 38.7% from beyond the perimeter by going 12 out of 31 and ended up shooting 15 of 20 at the free throw line (75.0%). The Lakers allowed the Suns to make 42 of 90 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.7% in this game. When the final whistle was blown, the Lakers finished shooting 39 out of 70 from the field which had them at 55.7%. When it comes to three-point attempts, Los Angeles knocked down 8 of 17 attempts (47.1%). They were able to knock down 36 of the free throws for a rate of 78.3%. The Suns committed 31 personal fouls in the game which took the Lakers to the free throw line for a total of 46 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 13 times, while recording 7 steals for this contest. The Lakers recorded 31 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards for a total of 36 in this game.

Anthony Davis pitched in for the Lakers for the matchup. Davis earned 27 points in his 38 minutes on the court and earned 5 assists for the contest. He knocked down 10 out of 18 in this game for a field goal rate of 55.6%, and accounted for 9 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a mark of 36-37 this season. As an offensive unit, the Lakers are shooting 47.9% from the field, which ranks them 10th in basketball. Los Angeles has tallied 8,504 points on the campaign (116.5 per game) and they average 45.4 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 25.1 times per contest (16th in the NBA) and they turn the ball over 14.2 times per contest. The Lakers are committing 18.3 fouls per contest and they connect on 77.8% from the free throw line.

The Los Angeles defense gives up 34.2% on 3-pointers (915 of 2,678) and opponents are knocking down 76.8% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 25.6 dimes and 45.3 boards per game, which is ranked 15th and 28th in the league. The Lakers on the defensive end are ranked 21st in the NBA in points allowed per game with 116.7. They are forcing their opponents into 12.7 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 46.8% from the field (8th in the NBA).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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