The top-seeded Thunder continue their quest to repeat as NBA champions after sweeping the Suns in the first round. In the Western Conference Semifinals, they will be taking on the fourth-seeded Lakers. Los Angeles almost let its series slip away against the Rockets, but it hung on to win the series in six games. Game 1 of this series will be on Tuesday, May 5.

Thunder vs. Lakers Opening Odds

The Thunder are favorites to win the series at -1600, while the Lakers are underdogs to advance at +900 on DraftKings Sportsbook.

According to the oddsmakers, the most likely outcome for this series is a sweep by the Thunder. Oklahoma City is +120 to win this series 4-0 over the Lakers.

The Thunder are the best team in the league until someone proves otherwise. Oklahoma City was incredible last season en route to the title. This season, it showed no signs of regression and earned home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs. OKC once again showed no signs of complacency by dismantling the Suns in the first round. The Thunder will hope to do the same thing to the Lakers in the second round.

The Lakers looked great to start the opening round series against the Rockets. Despite being without Luka Doncic, they won the first three games of the series. However, anxiety mounted in Los Angeles when the Rockets rattled off back-to-back wins to stay alive. LeBron James steadied the ship and comfortably won Game 6 to move on to this series. However, this is an entirely different level of competition against the Thunder. Doncic is not expected to be ready for the start of the series, but he could potentially return later in the series. Without Doncic, it’s hard to see the Lakers winning this series.

The Thunder dominated the Lakers in the regular season. Oklahoma City went 4-0 against Los Angeles, with an average margin of victory of 31.8 points per game.