by Rod Pearson
Wednesday, May 06, 2026
Game Time: 9:30 pm ET, Thursday, May 7, 2026
Venue: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Lakers +15.5, Thunder -15.5; Over/Under: 209.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Lakers +15.5, Thunder -15.5; Over/Under: 209.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Lakers +15.5, Thunder -15.5; Over/Under: 209.5 points
Season Record
Los Angeles Lakers: 53-29 (1st place, Pacific Division)
Oklahoma City Thunder: 64-18 (1st place, Northwest Division)
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Recent Form
Los Angeles Lakers: 7-3 last 10
Oklahoma City Thunder: 8-2 last 10
Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Preview and Analysis
The Lakers are entering the playoffs with a 53-29 record overall this season and they were 25-16 in their road games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. LeBron James led the team in points in that game with 27 while Rui Hachimura was next on the team with 18 points. Marcus Smart led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Deandre Ayton led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 41.2% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 76.9% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 116.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 114.6 PPG against them. The Lakers have an ATS record of 50-39 this season and their O/U record is 43-46.
The Thunder are entering the playoffs with a 64-18 record overall this season and they were 34-7 in their home games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 5 game winning streak with wins coming against the Phoenix Suns 4 times in a row and the Los Angeles Lakers. Chet Holmgren led the team in points in that game with 24 while Ajay Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each were next on the team with 18 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Chet Holmgren led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 49.4% from the field, 43.3% from 3-point range, and 91.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 119 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 107.9 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 42-45 this season and their O/U record is 46-41.
Lakers vs Thunder Prediction
The current betting odds have the Thunder listed as a 15.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Thunder have looked great in their games this season with their 64-18 record overall which had them right at the top of the West with the best record in the entire NBA. They have looked great on their home court too with their 34-7 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Lakers have looked good in their games this season with their 53-29 record overall which had them in the top half of the West. They have been a good road team too with their 25-16 road record this year. This is game 2 of a 7-game series between the 1 seeded Thunder and the 4 seeded Lakers in the West for the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs. The Thunder are entering this game with a 1-0 series lead after winning game 1 by a score of 108-90. The Lakers are 7-3 in their last 10 games and they have looked really good lately, but the Thunder are 8-2 in their last 10 games and are still the hotter team. They swept the Suns in the 1st round of the playoffs and they have been rolling lately with 5 wins in a row now. They have been crushing opponents in these wins too, most of them being by double digits, and they are still the champions of the NBA until someone takes them down. The Lakers managed to get by the Rockets with a 4-2 series win while missing Doncic and Reaves for most of that series. Now Reaves is back, but Doncic is still missing and they just don't have the talent to compete with the Thunder without Doncic on the court. LeBron did all he could do to get them by in the 1st round, but they didn't look great toward the end of that series and they couldn't do much against that Thunder defense in game 1 either. The Thunder have also been crushing the Lakers all year and this game will be no different, so look for the Thunder to take advantage of a banged up Lakers team that still isn't at their best. The best way to place a bet here is on the Thunder to cover the spread in this game.
Lakers Thunder Prediction: Our NBA Pick for Thursday, May 7, 2026 (9:30 pm ET start time) is Thunder 121 Lakers 102.
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NBA Betting Trends
Los Angeles Lakers: 25-16 ATS versus good 3 point shooting teams - making 36% of their attempts or more. 8-2 ATS after 3 or more consecutive unders. 26-18 ATS versus poor foul drawing teams - attempting 24 free throws/game or less. 15-9 UNDER revenging a same season loss vs opponent.
Oklahoma City Thunder: 7-15 ATS after allowing 100 points or less. 26-33 ATS versus good shooting teams - making 46% of their shots or more. 16-27 ATS versus good 3 point shooting teams - making 36% of their attempts or more. 28-21 UNDER as a favorite of 10 or more points.
Key Injuries
Los Angeles Lakers: J. Vanderbilt (PF) Day To Day - Finger. L. Doncic (PG) Out - Hamstring.
Oklahoma City Thunder: J. Williams (SG) Out - Hamstring. T. Sorber (C) Out For Season - Knee.
Notable Quotes
"We had some gameplan breakdowns. They're gonna test you. They're gonna see how many times they can make you have gameplan breakdowns, and we had a few. Almost too many versus a team like this." - LeBron James after their loss against the OKC Thunder in the 1st game of this series on Tuesday.
“Seems like to me. I haven’t known him that long. But he keeps chucking them up there. I felt we were a little fast to begin the game anyways. I told the team 'you can't be greedy with a playoff win that was not a perfect game. There's a lot of playoff games that are not perfect.” - Mark Daigneault after his team’s win against the LA Lakers in game 1 of this series on Tuesday.
Starting Lineups
Los Angeles Lakers
PG Austin Reaves
SG Marcus Smart
SF Rui Hachimura
PF LeBron James
C Deandre Ayton
Oklahoma City Thunder
PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG Luguentz Dort
SF Cason Wallace
PF Chet Holmgren
C Isaiah Hartenstein
Statistical Leaders
Los Angeles Lakers
PPG: Luka Doncic (33.5)
APG: Luka Doncic (8.3)
Reb/G: Deandre Ayton (8)
Oklahoma City Thunder
PPG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.1)
APG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6.6)
Reb/G: Isaiah Hartenstein (9.4)
Coaches:
Los Angeles Lakers: JJ Redick (2nd season)
Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (6th season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
