Thunder vs. Lakers: Bold Predictions for Game 4 Action

With a pivotal Game 4 set to take place between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers at STAPLES Center on Saturday night, plenty of prognosticators are making their predictions for the game. The winner of the series is likely to take on the San Antonio Spurs for the right to play in the NBA Finals, so this game will be a big one.

While the stars on both sides have performed as expected for the most part, you simply never know what might happen as the series gets deeper. Game 4 is likely to be the most intense of any game in the series thus far and it is going to be an absolute treat to watch.

Here are three bold predictions for Saturday's Game 4 between the Thunder and Lakers.

Russell Westbrook Will Lead All Scorers

While Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant may be the most talked about players in this series, the most important may be Thunder guard Russell Westbrook. He has been absolutely fantastic in this series and in the playoffs in general, and I could easily see him taking over Game 4 and overshadowing Bryant, Durant and everyone else.

Westbrook is currently second on the Thunder in playoff scoring behind Durant, but since the Lakers are probably going to throw everything they have at Durant, it will open up more scoring opportunities for Westbrook.

The Lakers can't expect a guy like Ramon Sessions to cover Westbrook because he is simply too strong and too quick. Westbrook's supreme combination of skills will lead to a huge Game 4 in which he leads all scorers.

Serge Ibaka Will Continue to Lock Down Pau Gasol

In the regular season it became quite obvious that Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka had developed into a dominant force on the defensive end, but that fact is ever clearer now. Ibaka was a monster in Oklahoma City's first-round thrashing of the Dallas Mavericks as he made life miserable for Dirk Nowitzki. The second round has brought more of the same as Ibaka has done an excellent job against Lakers big man Pau Gasol.

Gasol simply hasn't been able to find a rhythm thanks to Ibaka's shot-blocking prowess and it has put a ton of pressure on Bryant and Andrew Bynum to pick up the slack. That is the main reason why the Lakers face a disadvantage heading into Game 4. Some may think that Gasol will turn it on as the going gets tougher, but he basically folded in the postseason last year and will do the same against Ibaka.

Game Will Go to Overtime

Seeing as both the Thunder and Lakers have played plenty of close games so far in the playoffs, it stands to reason that Game 3 should be a tightly-contested battle.

Game 2 very well could have went into an extra session as the Lakers trailed by one with seconds remaining, but Steve Blake missed a go-ahead shot, so the Thunder made a free throw and were able to hang on. The Lakers in particular will be desperate in Game 4, but the Thunder would love to win the game as well.

I wouldn't expect either team to give an inch on Saturday night, and that should make for a classic back-and-forth battle. Both teams have a ton of offensive firepower and have the ability to lock things down defensively as well, so every single possession is going to be vital and every single possession is going to be an all-out fight. This one could most definitely go either way, but the true winners are going to be the basketball fans who tune in.

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