The first set of 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament games is upon us with the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Golden State Warriors at the Paycom Center. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Warriors-Thunder prediction and pick.

The Golden State Warriors will look to continue their winning ways away from Chase Center after they went 3-0 on their first road trip to start the season. Golden State is coming off a thrilling 102-101 win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Klay Thompson made the game-winning shot, a top-of-the-key jumper over Davion Mitchell and Keegan Murray to push the Warriors to 4-1 on the season. Despite a quiet night, Stephen Curry still led all Warriors scorers with 21 points and four three-pointers. Thompson finished with 14 points.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost their second game at home on Wednesday after dropping their home opener to the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all Thunder scorers with 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting during their 110-106 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Chet Holmgren tallied his second career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Jalen Williams added 18 points and eight rebounds.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Warriors-Thunder Odds

Golden State Warriors: -6 (-106)

Oklahoma City Thunder: +6 (-114)

Over: 225 (-110)

Under: 225 (-110)

How to Watch Warriors vs. Thunder

Time: 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT

Local TV: Bally Sports OK, NBC Sports Bay Area

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Warriors Could Cover The Spread

The Golden State Warriors have been rolling to start their 2023-24 campaign after they dropped their season-opener to the Phoenix Suns on opening night. Winners of four straight, the Warriors have found ways to win down the stretch and on the road — situations they struggled with last season.

Stephen Curry is off to a scorching start to his age-35 campaign. The two-time NBA MVP is 31.0 points per game while shooting 54.3 percent from the field, including 45.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Chris Paul has also fit seamlessly as a Warrior. Paul came off the bench for the first time in his career earlier this week. The veteran point guard steered the second unit into a cohesive and reliable lineup whenever Curry sits. Paul is plus-44 through three games so far when coming off the bench.

Though Curry has been an offensive maestro to begin the season, it's been Golden State's defense that has paced them to this 4-1 start. The Warriors are currently 5th in the defensive rating and are No. 1 in opposing field goal percentage. This is more impressive considering they did not have Draymond Green available in their first two games of the season.

The Warriors don't have anyone on their injury report, which further helps their case to win and cover the spread on the road against Oklahoma City.

On the season, Golden State has been able to cover the spread in three of their five games so far. However, they have gone just 1-4 on the over/under.

Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread

Oklahoma City, meanwhile, enters this game as underdogs despite being at home. The Thunder could have a tough time against the Warriors, however, as they will be without franchise star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA has been ruled out for Friday's In-Season Tournament opener with a left knee sprain. The Thunder guard suffered the injury during their game against the Pelicans, though he played through the injury and finished the game.

It's unfortunate that the Thunder will be without their leader in a game that has implications on the league's shiny new tournament. Without Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City will need to find other sources of scoring.

This could be Chet Holmgren's time to shine. Holmgren hasn't looked like a rookie at all through his first handful of games in the NBA. The 7-foot center is averaging 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, while shooting 59.6 percent from the field, including 52.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Oklahoma City has been a middle-of-the-pack team offensively and defensively. The team ranks 15th in offensive rating and 16th in defensive rating so far this season. Missing Gilgeous-Alexander is huge and significantly drops the Thunder's chance to win. Nonetheless, they could take advantage of Holmgren's size run the offense through him, and get him easy looks around the basket.

Like Golden State, Oklahoma City has gone 3-2 against the spread. They are also 2-3 on the over/under.

Final Warriors-Thunder Prediction & Pick

This should be an easy Golden State pick. Without Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder likely don't stand a chance. Stephen Curry also seems to love playing in Oklahoma City. The four-time NBA champ has averaged 39.0 points and drained a combined 18 three-pointers over his last two games at the Paycom Center. If the trend continues, expect fireworks from Curry tonight.

Final Warriors-Thunder Prediction & Pick: Golden State Warriors: -6 (-106), Over: 225 (-110)