NBA Picks Lakers vs. Thunder NBA Odds – November 3, 2009: The defending World Champion (2-1) Los Angeles Lakers [-7½] will hit the road for the first time this season as they take on the sports betting odds underdog (2-1) Oklahoma City Thunder [+7½] tonight. This NBA Picks game has a scheduled opening kickoff slated for 8 PM ET (5 PM PT) and it’ll be broadcasted live on NBA TV and /or FSOK.
Kobe Bryant and the “Purple and Gold” enter this game in second place in the Pacific Division, trailing the perfect (3-0) Phoenix Suns. Kevin Durant and OKC also enter this contest in second place in the division (Northwest), 
and also trailing another team off to an unbeaten start in the (3-0) Denver Nuggets. According to NBA Picks & NBA Odds specialists at SPORTSBETTING.COM, the OVER/UNDER set forth for this November 3, 2009 NBA game between the Lakers vs. Thunder has been officially set at a combined total of 193½ points scored.
The Lakers are coming off an 8-point victory over the much-improved Atlanta Hawks on at the STAPLES Center. KB-24 recorded his first 40-point effort of the season, as he and Joe Johnson were involved in a seesaw battle. The back-and-forth ended as soon as the newest Laker, Ron Artest buckled him down defensively.
After dropping 18 on the opening stanza, Johnson scored just 9 points with Artest on him for the remainder of the game. “We picked up our intensity, and it all started with No. 37,” Bryant said of Artest. “He picked up the energy level defensively, and I told him the game was on him. I felt like the energy really changed the whole complexity of the game, and we all kind of rallied behind him.”
However, Ron-Ron continues to struggle fitting into the offense, entering tonight’s contest averaging 8.3 points on 32.1 percent shooting. “You can’t look at the numbers,” Bryant said. “Obviously, we know he’s capable of putting up big numbers. But tonight his defense was outstanding.”
Tonight, the Lakers will have another tough task at hand in guarding Durant. Nevertheless, Oklahoma City also has plenty to worry about in this one. “There’s not a lot you can take away from (Bryant) but just make every shot he takes difficult with a hand near his face or close to his shooting hand,” Thabo Sefolosha said on the team’s site. “You know he’s going to go with different moves. He can do it all. He can penetrate and shoot the outside shot. You can’t really take it away, just stay in front of him.”
Bet on the Lakers to defeat the Thunder tonight and cash in with sign-up bonuses, weekly reload bonuses and free payouts at SPORTSBETTING.com, where betting is safe, secure and easy… find out why I love wagering with SPORTSBETTING.com!!!
