The Los Angeles Lakers will be in a transitional phase when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT). As the trade deadline approached, they dealt Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In exchange, Los Angeles receives point guard Isaiah Thomas, veteran wing Channing Frye and a first-round draft pick.
The Thunder are posted as 3.5-point sportsbook favorites, with the Over-Under for total points scored set at 217.
SportsLine expert Galin Dragiev has a strong 10-2 run picking against the spread when these two teams are involved. It's no fluke, either; he's also on a 21-12-1 streak overall on his NBA selections for SportsLine.
With the trade, Los Angeles filled a need for outside shooting and also cleared cap room for what is expected to be an aggressive push for high-priced free agents in the off-season, notably LeBron James. But the Lakers will be temporarily short-handed until they get Thomas and Frye on the court.
The Lakers have been playing well, particularly on their home floor, where they have covered seven straight games. They are also 6-1 ATS this season playing on one day's rest.
Oklahoma City could also potentially be short-handed after star Russell Westbrook reportedly sprained his ankle during Tuesday's blowout road win over the Golden State Warriors. Westbrook, who scored 34 points in the victory, is listed as questionable for Thursday's game. Carmelo Anthony is also questionable with an ankle injury.
No matter who suits up, the Thunder will be looking for payback after they took a 108-104 home loss to the Lakers on Sunday as 10-point favorites. Oklahoma City shot just 28 percent from three-point range and missed eight free throws in the defeat.
Which side of the Thunder-Lakers spread do you need to jump on? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of Thunder-Lakers you should be all over on Thursday, all from the expert who is hitting 83 percent of his ATS picks involving these teams.
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