OPINION PLAY – UNDER 195.5 Oklahoma City vs. LA Lakers – 8:30 PM CST

The Oklahoma City Thunder absolutely dominated game one against the LA Lakers at at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Monday night. OKC's Big Three of Durant, Westbrook and Harden combined for 69 points (on 53% field goals) amidst a spectacularly efficient performance that saw the Thunder score 98 points through the first three quarters. Outside of the Big Three, no player had more than eight points, but nine other players scored and contributed. The Thunder had advantages in bench scoring (50-to-26), field-goal percentage (53-to-43.2), steals (13-to-1), and fast-break points (13-0). Most of OKC’s scoring came super easy. They were able to easily maneuver the pick-and-roll and get a ton of easy looks from inside 20 feet, because the LAL defenders were clogging the lane rather than cutting off the pick-and-roll. The Lakers looked old and worn down, like a team less than 48 hours removed from an unnecessarily grueling seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets. Kobe Bryant contributed 20 points, but made just 7-of-18 shots, and Bynum contributed 20 points and 14 boards. They had little help from the supporting cast. Metta World Peace (12 points), Pau Gasol (10 points), and Ramon Sessions (two points) didn’t have much of an impact. Expect that the Lakers slow down the pace and defend the pick-and-roll differently tonight to deal with the speed and athleticism of OKC's perimeter scorers. LAL held Denver, the NBA’s top offense in the regular season, to just 96.7 points per game in the opening series. That’s 7.4 points fewer than they averaged during the regular season. All signs points to the Lakers regrouping after that embarrassing defeat (worst playoff loss since 1998 for LAL) and playing a much more inspired game here tonight. Expect a defensive battle and a close finish tonight. Take the UNDER 195.5 points.