Oklahoma City Thunder vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 3/4/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Monday, March 4, 2024

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Spectrum Sportsnet

Crypto.com Arena is the location where the Los Angeles Lakers (33-29) will go up against the Oklahoma City Thunder (41-18) on Monday.

The Thunder played the Spurs and took a loss by a score of 132-118 in their last contest. Oklahoma City wrapped up the contest with a 49.4% field goal percentage (44 out of 89) and converted 9 of their 31 three-point shots. When they shot from the free throw line, the Thunder converted 21 of their 22 shots for a rate of 95.5%. In terms of rebounding, they collected a total of 37 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 20 assists in this matchup as well as creating 11 turnovers and having 6 steals. In regard to defending, Oklahoma City allowed the other team to go 52.7% from the floor on 48 out of 91 shooting. San Antonio distributed 39 assists and had 6 steals in this contest. In addition, San Antonio collected 45 boards (11 offensive, 34 defensive) and earned 2 blocked shots. San Antonio went 85.0% at the free throw line by burying 17 of their 20 tries. They also buried 19 out of their 39 shots from three-point range. When discussing personal fouls, the Thunder left the arena with 15 while the Spurs finished the game with 20 personal fouls.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a player who was a contributor for the contest. Gilgeous-Alexander ended up shooting 54.5% from the field and dished out 3 assists. He played 35 minutes and grabbed 6 rebounds. He racked up 31 points on 12 out of 22 shooting.

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Oklahoma City heads into this game with a mark of 41-18 so far this season. They cough up possession 12.6 times per contest and as a team are committing 19.4 fouls per contest. As a unit, Oklahoma City is collecting 41.6 boards per game and has accounted for 1,595 assists for the season, which is 13th in the league in terms of passing the ball. The Thunder are hitting 39.6% on 3-point shots (794 of 2,003) and 83.2% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 121.2 pts per game (3rd in the league) while hitting 50.2% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Thunder are forcing their opponents into 15.6 turnovers per game and they draw 19.2 fouls. They currently rank 15th in the league in giving up assists with 1,587 surrendered for the year. The Thunder are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 45.1% (2,397 of 5,314) and they surrender 45.2 boards per contest as a team. They give up 36.2% on shots from downtown while they are 13th in the NBA in opponents points per game (113.3).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Lakers took a loss by a score of 124-114 against the Nuggets. The Lakers collected 25 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards for a total of 31 for the matchup. They coughed up the ball 7 times, while recording 5 steals for this game. The Nuggets earned 8 fouls for the matchup which took the Lakers to the charity stripe for a total of 11 shots. They were able to make 8 of the free throws for a rate of 72.7%. With regard to shots from 3-point land, Los Angeles knocked down 12 out of their 29 attempts (41.4%). When the final whistle blew, the Lakers ended up going 47 for 89 from the field which gave them a rate of 52.8%. The Lakers permitted the Nuggets to make 54 out of 92 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 58.7% for the contest. They shot 42.3% from beyond the arc by connecting on 11 out of 26 and finished the game at 5 out of 7 from the free throw line (71.4%). When talking about attacking the glass, Los Angeles allowed Denver to get 47 in all (11 on the offensive glass).

LeBron James ended up having an impact for the Lakers in the game. James recorded 26 points in his 37 mins of playing time and accounted for 9 dimes for the matchup. He made 12 of 20 in this game for a field goal rate of 60.0%, and accumulated 4 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a win-loss record of 33-29 for the year. On the offensive side of the court, the Lakers are connecting on 49.7% from the floor, which ranks them 3rd in the league. Los Angeles has accumulated 7,262 pts this year (117.1 per contest) and they collect 42.4 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 28.6 times per game (7th in the league) and they are giving up possession 13.6 times per game. The Lakers are responsible for committing 16.1 fouls every game and they go 77.3% from the free throw line.

The Lakers on the defensive side of the court are 20th in the NBA in PPG allowed with 117.7. They are forcing 13.5 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 47.4% from the floor (17th in the league). The Los Angeles defense allows 37.5% on shots from 3-point land (877 of 2,337) and opponents are connecting on 79.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 28.2 assists and 44.5 total boards per game, which ranks them 24th and 21st in the NBA.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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