On Monday night, the red-hot and streaking Oklahoma City Thunder clash against the Los Angeles Lakers inside crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA. They tip it off at 10:30 pm. 

Bookmaker has installed the Lakers as a slim - 1.5 point favorite in this one. 

The Thunder have played outstanding this season and ripped off a couple of nice winning streaks. They entered Sunday's action against the Suns 20 plus games over .500 on the season. They are a team that can score with the best teams in the league, and they are averaging around 121 games per contest.

They have a ton of depth and athleticism and several players that can quickly go off for 20-plus points on any night. They are led on offense by 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the team in scoring with a brilliant average of 31.2 points per night. He has become a big-time scorer, player, and arguably a front-runner for league MVP. They also have great depth in the form of 22-year-old forward Jalen Williams, who contributes 19 a night and can put the ball on the floor and create his shot. 

As a team, the Thunder have connected on 55% from the floor, including 33% from beyond the arc. They are a team that can score in bunches. They are a team that believes they have the talent and experience to make a deep run out of the Western Conference. 

The Lakers have had issues this season, and the last thing they would want to do is be a part of the play in tournaments and games. They have been a very inconsistent team all season long, but recently, they have won six of nine overall but are buried in the basement of the Pacific Division.

They do not appear to have the time or the talent to dig themselves out of that monster hole. They are still led on offense by veteran LeBron James, who is averaging around 26 a game with seven rebounds per night. Anthony Davis has also played well this season, as he is chipping in with a double-double, which includes an average of 25 per game to go along with a team-high 13 rebounds. 

They play lousy defense, which has been one of their main issues this season. They need to have discipline when it comes to guarding the perimeter and closing out games. Overall, they connect on 56% from the field. Look for James and Davis to carry the offense load against a team that will push the pace in this one. 

The Lakers are 3-2 in their last five games and 1-4 in their previous five games against the number. They are also 13-18 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in two out of their last five games and 13 out of their last 32 games at home. The Thunder are 4-1 in their previous five games and 4-1 in their last five games against the number too. The Thunder are also 16-12 in their road games against the spread.