The Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns meet for a Western Conference matchup on ESPN on Sunday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Thunder-Suns prediction and pick.
The Thunder are coming off a tough loss on the road in San Antonio. The rookie matchup between Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembayama certainly did not disappoint. Wemby outlasted Holmgren scoring 28 points as the Spurs won 132-118. Chet scored 23 points while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 on 12-22 shooting. The Thunder fell to 41-18 and are a half-game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the top spot in the Western Conference.
The Suns take on the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. They then will have a back-to-back against a young and quick OKC squad. The Suns are massive favorites against the Rockets and should take care of business at home.
It was a rough start to the year, but the Suns have found their groove and Kevin Durant is playing elite basketball as he usually does. The future Hall-0f-Famer is averaging 27.9 points per game and Devin Booker is right behind him at 27.6. If they continue to score at a high level then the Suns are going to be competitive. Phoenix will be a tough out, come postseason time. The Suns are currently 35-24 on the season which places them 5th in the West, tied record-wise with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Thunder-Suns Odds
Oklahoma City Thunder: -2 (-110)
Moneyline: -132
Phoenix Suns: +2 (-110)
Moneyline: +112
Over: 236.5 (-110)
Under: 236.5 (-110)
How to Watch Thunder vs. Suns
Time: 9:30 ET/6:30 PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Thunder are early favorites for this contest. This line could change by the time they start Sunday night, however, for now, OKC is favored to bounce back from their loss with a big win on the road.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an MVP candidate. He deserves a ton of credit for leading the Thunder to one of the best records in the West. Nikola Jokic is favored as of now, but if OKC continues to stay ahead of Denver then it may change in SGA's favor. Either way, it will be a close race to the finish.
SGA is averaging 31.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per game on the season. What is even more impressive is that he is shooting 54.8% from the floor (20th in NBA and 1st among guards). Not only is the young star 2nd in the NBA in scoring but he's doing it at a high rate.
OKC's other two scorers, Holmgren and Jalen Williams, are both shooting 54.4% from the floor, right behind SGA. Those two are 21st and 22nd in the NBA in field-goal percentage. Because those three score at a high rate, Phoenix will have to be very sound on defense on the second night of a back-to-back to contain this offense.
Why The Suns Could Cover The Spread/Win
KD and Booker are both top 10 in scoring. They are the best-scoring duo in the league just ahead of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, followed by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. What makes KD and Booker so dangerous is they can score from every level of the court. Their midrange game is what destroys opponents the most. They average just five threes a game so they tend not to rely on it.
Phoenix's defense has stepped up over the last 10 games. They have allowed just 112.6 points per game compared to the 114.3 they allow on average. It's not a big difference, but the Suns have faced some tough offenses like the Warriors, Lakers, Mavericks, Bucks, and Kings.
The Suns are now in a position that they envisioned when landing Bradley Beal in the offseason. Beal is only averaging 18.2 points per game which is his lowest since 2016-17. He has been dealing with injuries over the last few seasons but when healthy we know how elite he is offensively. He is probable to play against the Rockets but on a back-to-back, he may miss the game against OKC. Eric Gordon is also questionable with a groin injury.
Final Thunder-Suns Prediction & Pick
This will be a great game on the national stage. I expect it to be close the entire way but with the doubts of Beal playing on the second of a back-to-back, I like the Thunder's chances of winning on the road. The Thunder will have two full days of rest and should be the healthier side. Take them to win Moneyline with the value that it is now, before it may reach a higher number by tomorrow evening.
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Final Thunder-Suns Prediction & Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder ML (-132)
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