When last we saw the Lakers they were surrounding the Game 2 officials following their 125-107 loss to the Thunder. LA led that game at the half by a point but was outscored 68-49 in the second half to fall down 2-0 to OKC in the best of seven series.

Did they have a reason to gripe to the officials? There is no doubt that every game presents subjective situations. However, the larger question is will they get the calls they need to climb back into a series in which they are obviously the lesser team? Or does their attempt to question the game officials – which could easily be viewed as an attempt to intimidate them – merely showcase desperation? The Lakers need a spark and frankly, it matters not how they get one.

We will see the results on display Saturday night in Los Angeles for Game 3 of this Western Conference series.

The Thunder will take the court with immense confidence. They are 6-0 in the playoffs and on ethe verge of basically ending this series against the Lakers. Game 2 saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren led the way for the Thunder with 22 points apiece. Jared McCain had 18 in 18 minutes off the bench as OKC flexed in the second half to take the two games to none lead in the series. Austin Reaves had 31 and LeBron James 23 in the loss for LA. The supporting cast simply has not been good enough for the purple and gold.

Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

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Game Details and How to Watch Live: Thunder vs. Lakers

• Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026
• Time: 8:30PM EST
• Site: crypto.com Arena
• City: Los Angeles, CA
• Network/Streaming: ABC

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Game Odds: Thunder vs. Lakers

The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: Oklahoma City Thunder (-375), Los Angeles Lakers (+295)
• Spread: Thunder -8.5
• Total: 211.5 points

This game opened Thunder -8.5 with the Game Total set at 208.5.

Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule! 

Expected Starting Lineups: Thunder vs. LakersOklahoma City Thunder

• PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• SG Luguentz Dort
• C Isaiah Hartenstein
• SG Ajay Mitchell
• PF Chet Holmgren

Los Angeles Lakers

• PG Marcus Smart
• SG Austin Reaves
• C Deandre Ayton
• PF Rui Hachimura
• SF LeBron James
  

Injury Report: Thunder vs. LakersOklahoma City Thunder

• Jalen Williams (hamstring) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
• Thomas Sorber (knee) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game

Los Angeles Lakers

• Luka Doncic (hamstring) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
• Jarred Vanderbilt (finger) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game

Important stats, trends and insights: Thunder vs. Lakers

• The Lakers are 30-14 at home this season
• The Thunder are 32-10 on the road this season
• The Lakers are 49-40-1 ATS this season
• OKC is 43-44-1 ATS this season
• The OVER has cashed in 48 of the Thunder’s 88 games this season (48-40)
• The OVER has cashed in 45 of the Lakers’ 90 games this season (45-45)
• Chet Holmgren was 7-11 from the field including 3-5 from deep
• Lu Dort scored 3 points in Game 2
• Dort has failed to reach double digits in scoring in the playoffs this season
• Jared McCain scored 18 points in 18 minutes in Game 2
• McCain was the game’s top 3-point shooter knocking down 4 (in 5 attempts) for the second straight game
• Deandre Ayton pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds
• Marcus Smart had 5 assists in Game 2 and has 12 for the series

Rotoworld Best Bet

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
 
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Saturday’s Thunder and Lakers’ game:

• Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline
• Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Thunder -8.5 ATS
• Total: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Game Total OVER 211.5

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar! 

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: 

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
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• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) 
• Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)