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The Golden State Warriors are beginning a five-game road trip at Chesapeake Energy Arena to face the Oklahoma City Thunder for the first time this season. With that said, it’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Warriors-Thunder prediction and pick.
The Warriors have won two straight games and are currently sitting in the 10th seed in the Western Conference as they battle to get into the play-in tournament for the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Thunder have lost seven straight games and won just one in their last ten games for a record of 20-34 and the 13th seed in the Western Conference.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Warriors-Thunder odds.
NBA Odds: Warriors-Thunder Odds
Golden State Warriors -11 (-117)
Oklahoma City Thunder +11 (-103)
Over 223.5 Points (-107)
Under 223.5 Points(-113)
Why The Warriors Could Cover The Spread
This Golden State team has won two straight games and in those victories, their most valuable player in Stephen Curry has been absolutely dominant offensively.
In the game against the Houston Rockets, Curry put up 38 points, eight rebounds, and five assists and in the next game against the Denver Nuggets, Curry had himself 53 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
So far this season, Curry has averaged 30.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game while shooting almost 50 percent from the field and above 40 percent from behind the three-point line. Curry’s impact also goes way beyond his stat line.
He’s both an offensive threat and a playmaker meaning that his presence alone helps to free up his teammates and Curry’s vision allows him to find his teammate open for the shot. Moreover, Curry is that late-game closer for the Warriors and can get a bucket when the team needs it in the fourth which was exemplified in the game against the Nuggets on Monday.
With Curry on the floor, it takes a lot of pressure off of Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green to handle the ball and to run the offense for the team. The two have been solid for Steve Kerr as Wiggins is the second-leading scorer for the Warriors and Green is putting up the most assists on the team even ahead of Curry at 8.4 assists per game.
The key for the Warriors to cover the spread against the Thunder is to put the ball into Curry's hands and let him play make for the team and get himself going offensively. This Golden State team isn't the best defensively but there are no offensive threats on the Thunder that they will need to worry about.
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Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread
This Oklahoma City team has been dealing with a lot of injuries as of late but most notably to their stars, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Al Horford.
During his limited time on the floor this season, SGA has been able to put up 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 40 percent from behind the three-point line.
What the Thunder miss most about not having him on the floor though is his play-making ability, ball-handling skills, and clutch shot-making at the end of the game which does not show up on the stat sheet.
As a result of SGA missing the floor, coach Mark Daigneault's squad has dropped to the worse offensive rating in the league, and rightfully so. The highest scorer from the current active players on the roster is Luguentz Dort at 13.3 points per game and there are only two other players—Darius Bazley and Ty Jerome—on this team averaging double-digit points.
Fortunately for the Thunder, the Warriors have not been the greatest offensive team either ranking as the 8th worse offensive in the league. The Warriors do, however, have Curry who the Thunder will need to slow down and force the ball out of his hands in order to cover the spread on Wednesday.
Final Warriors-Thunder Prediction & Pick
The Thunder are the worst offensive-rated team in the league and also in the bottom 10 of the league for the best defensive rating. While the Warriors are in the bottom 10 of the league for the best offensive rating but in the top 10 for the best defensive rating in the league. Offensively, the Warriors do have Curry who has been dominating offensively as of late and had himself a 50-plus point game against the Nuggets.
For that reason, Curry should have no problems continuing his great offensive performance against the Thunder and the Warriors should not only improve their win streak to three-straight wins but also cover the spread on Wednesday.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR WARRIORS-THUNDER: GSW 118, OKC 102 (GSW -11)
