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The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Philadelphia 76ers in an interconference matchup on Friday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Thunder-76ers prediction and pick.
These teams have had opposite seasons. The Thunder have been in rebuild mode for quite some time, and that hasn't changed this year. Their 17-37 record is proof of that. Meanwhile, the 76ers have legitimate championship aspirations. A recent trade for James Harden pushed Philadelphia into the shortlist of contenders in the Eastern Conference. Harden won't play in this contest, but that doesn't change much in a matchup between a vastly superior Sixers team and the rebuilding Thunder.
Here are the Thunder-76ers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Thunder-76ers Odds
Oklahoma City Thunder: +13.5 (-108)
Philadelphia 76ers: -13.5 (-112)
Over: 206.5 (-110)
Under: 206.5 (-110)
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Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread
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While the Thunder do own a terrible straight-up record, their numbers against the spread aren't nearly as poor. Oklahoma City is actually one of the best teams in the NBA at covering, as they own a 32-19-3 record ATS. That includes a 17-10 record as road underdogs. Meanwhile, the Sixers have been one of the worst teams in the league at covering at home. They are 10-17 against the spread as the home team, and 7-12 when they enter the game as a home favorite.
To make matters even better, the 76ers will be playing this game extremely shorthanded, particularly at guard. Harden is still unavailable to play, and starting point guard Tyrese Maxey is questionable for this contest. Backup guard Shake Milton is also questionable for this matchup. The 76ers also traded Seth Curry to the Brooklyn Nets, so their options at both guard spots will be extremely limited. Forkan Korkmaz and Isaiah Joe will be forced to play tons of minutes in this game.
Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread
The 76ers have nearly every single statistical advantage in this game. The Philadelphia defense has a particularly large edge here. The Sixers only give up 105 points per game while holding their opponents to a 45% shooting percentage. The Thunder have been one of the worst offensive teams in all of basketball, averaging just over 100 points per contest. Almost every single one of their major offensive stats has them ranking in the bottom ten teams in the NBA. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Thunder score less than 90 points here.
The Thunder are dealing with a variety of injuries of their own. Star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is dealing with a long-term ankle injury, and starting shooting guard Aaron Wiggins has already been ruled out of this game along with starting center Mike Muscala. Oklahoma City has a hard time keeping things competitive with their starters in, so it's tough to see this game remaining close with all of the backups playing big roles.
Final Thunder-76ers Prediction & Pick
Neither side is a particularly appealing pick. Instead, the over should cash somewhat easily. It's one of the lowest numbers we've seen all year, so the 76ers should lead the way to an easy cash.
Final Thunder-76ers Pick: Over: 206.5 (-110)
