NBA Pick: Thunder +7 (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
*Editor’s note: Suggested NBA pick applies as long as the Thunder don’t rest any starters for this NBA matchup.
History could be made in the NBA on Tuesday night by LeBron James as his Los Angeles Lakers host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday on national TV.
Which side of the 7-point Spread has the best value at the top-rated online books?
We also have a play on tonight’s Total as well.
Remember, fans from Sooner Country or the City of Angels who want to make a wager based on NBA odds for this game should check out our top-rated Oklahoma or California betting sites.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Tuesday, February 7, 2023 – 10:00 PM EST at Crypto.com Arena
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James could become the NBA’s all-time points leader on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and TNT has the national telecast from Los Angeles.
It’s Feb. 7 on Tuesday and somehow this is the first of three regular-season meetings between the Thunder and Lakers.
They split four last season. LeBron played in just one of them and had 33 points, which would not be enough to break the NBA career record in this game.
The franchises have met 49 times overall since the Thunder relocated to Oklahoma City prior to the 2008-09 season.
OKC leads 26-23 but is 20-23 at Crypto.com Arena.
The Thunder are 6-1 ATS on the NBA picks in their past seven in Los Angeles.
Thunder Playing Second Of B2B
Second of a back-to-back for Oklahoma City after it lost 141-114 at Golden State on Monday again playing without maybe its best defender in Lug Dort as he missed a fifth straight game with a strained right hamstring.
The Canadian averages 14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. Probably sits again tonight.
Perhaps Dort would have helped slow Golden State’s Klay Thompson as he finished with 42 points, including 12-for-16 from deep.
The Warriors shot 57.7% overall and 52.0% from long-range playing without Steph Curry on Monday. The Warriors (26-of-50) outscored the Thunder (11-of-32) 78-33 from behind the arc.
Thompson by himself made one more three-pointer than the Thunder, who dropped to 9-17 on the road, 3-10 vs. the West.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points, while Aaron Wiggins, who stepped into his 10th start of the season registered 19 points on 8-of-10 from the field. Tre Mann also had double digits off the bench with 18 points on 8-of-12 from the field. It was the Thunder’s most lopsided loss of the season.
About the only good news is that no OKC players had heavy minutes. Oklahoma City is 2-4 straight up in the second of a back-to-back this season.
It last was in this situation on Feb. 13 in Chicago and won 124-110 the night after a 133-114 upset win in Philadelphia.
The Thunder are 6-1 ATS in their past seven after a loss.
James Likely Breaks Record Thursday
After scoring 27 points on Saturday in a 131-126 loss in New Orleans to end a long road trip, LeBron James has 38,352 career points, 36 from breaking the record held by former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387).
Considering LeBron averages 30 points per game, he’s obviously more likely to catch Kareem on Thursday vs. Milwaukee.
That game is the -(295) favorite for the record with tonight at (+250).
Also. on the "How LeBron will break the NBA Scoring Record" prop at BMR’s top-rated books:
- 2-point Field Goal (-150)
- 3-point Field Goal (+260)
- Free Throw +350.
James has scored at least 20 points in 35 consecutive games, the third-best such streak of his career.
The Kyrie Irving Saga
The Lakers were heavily in the Kyrie Irving trade sweepstakes and considered the betting favorites to land him via BetOnline, but Irving was shipped to Dallas on Sunday.
The Lakers reportedly offered the Nets a package that included both their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks as well as Russell Westbrook, but Brooklyn informed the Lakers that it would take including Austin Reaves and Max Christie as well in addition to pick swaps. Los Angeles said no thanks.
Irving did want to go play again with LeBron and can simply sign there this offseason as a free agent. Nets owner Joe Tsai was so ticked off at Irving that he wasn’t going to trade him to the Lakers.
The Lakers Are Bolstered, But Is It Enough?
Brooklyn arguably got a better package from Dallas in Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a future first-round pick, and two second-rounders.
LA recently acquired Rui Hachimura from Washington and that might be the only trade it makes ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
If so, the Lakers aren’t winning a title. Los Angeles, sitting 12th in the conference at 25-29, is (+140) to make the Western Conference playoffs, which means finishing in the Top 6 or advancing through the Play-in tournament, and (-175) to miss.
Do the Lakers win this game? No question, but 7 points seems a bit high – unless OKC rests a key player or two in the second game of a B2B.
The Thunder’s past two games have seen an average of 264.5 points scored, so we’re going Over.
NBA Prop Pick: LeBron breaks NBA points record Thursday vs. Milwaukee (-295) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
NBA Pick: Over 238 (-110) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
