It's a matchup of two of the Western Conference's most exciting teams as the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Los Angeles Lakers in a nationally televised game at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday.
The Thunder opened as 10-point favorites and now are laying 9.5. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 216.5, up slightly from its 215.5 opening.
Before picking either side, you need to read what SportsLine NBA expert Galin Dragiev has to say. Dragiev has put together an impressive 83 percent run picking Lakers games and nailed his past four plays.
Dragiev, who has a strong analytical background, has examined every matchup, every player and every trend for Lakers-Thunder and locked in his pick.
The last time these teams squared off on Jan. 3, Dragiev alerted bettors to Paul George's sticky defense being a motivating factor in backing Thunder -6. The result: George had 24 points and three crucial steals in a 133-96 drubbing of the Lakers, easily covering the spread. Dragiev was dead on.
He knows that the Lakers' best shot at covering the spread Wednesday -- and winning outright -- will be to re-establish their stringent defense, which held opponents to 95.3 points a game during a recent four-game winning streak.
But Oklahoma City can cover the spread if Russell Westbrook continues his torrid play. Over his past five games, the reigning MVP is averaging 26 points, 11 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 2.4 steals.
So what side of Lakers-Thunder do you need to be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see which crucial factor determines which side of the spread you need to be all over, all from an expert hitting on 83 percent of his Lakers picks, including his past four.
