The Oklahoma City Thunder have a 7-2 spread record in their last nine contests, putting up 98.9 PPG in that span. Scott Brooks’ squad begins a three-game road trip in Friday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors, who are 1-2 ATS in the first three dates of their present home stand.
Sportsbook lines makers opened Oklahoma City as a 5 ½-point favorite, with
early ‘steam’ on Golden State driving the number south to 4 ½. NBA odds makers first set the ‘total’ at 198,
remaining unchanged on most boards after initial sports betting action was mixed.
Thunder roar past
Hornets
The Oklahoma City Thunder never trailed in Wednesday’s 101-91 win as an 11
½-point home favorite against the New Orleans Hornets. The Thunder hit 53.1 percent of their field
buckets, while sinking 28-of-33 free throws.
Thunder forward Kevin Durant piled in team-highs of 25 points and
seven rebounds, while adding three of his team’s eight blocks. Durant’s mate James Harden finished with 18
points off the bench, logging six assists in 29 minutes on the floor.
The contest’s combined 192 points leaped above the ‘total’ of 186
½, ending a 2-0 ‘under’ run in Oklahoma City’s prior two games. Thunder guards Russell Westbrook and Daequan
Cook united for 23 points, with Cook draining 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Warriors rally to end
skid
Golden State saw its three-game losing streak end with Wednesday’s
101-93 victory as a 3 ½-point home favorite against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Warriors connected 11-of-20 buckets from
three-point land, while being outrebounded, 43-30.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry notched a season-high 32 points,
while logging four steals in his third game back from an ankle injury. Curry’s mates Monta Ellis and Ekpe Udoh
recorded team-highs of 12 assists and seven boards, respectively.
The duel’s combined 194 points jumped above the closing ‘total’ of
192 ½, lifting the ‘over’ to 7-2 in the Warriors last nine games. Golden State struggled from the foul line,
sinking 8-of-14 free throws, while holding Portland to 41 percent field
shooting.
Back the ‘over’ in
“Oaktown”
Tonight's matchup is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. (ET), with NBA TV
providing the national television coverage.
I am adding the 'over' to my NBA picks, looking for some
high-octane from these two rivals. The
‘over’ cashed at 2-1 in last year’s three meetings between the foes, with the
trio of battles combining to average 215.3 PPG.
Oklahoma City and Golden State make up two of the league’s top
shooting squads, connecting from the field at 47.2 and 46 percent,
respectively. Durant has notched 25.7
PPG for the Thunder, making him the Western Conference’s second-leading scorer,
while Golden State’s Brandon Rush tops the league in hitting three-point
buckets (57.4 percent).
Durant and Westbrook united for 50 points in last February’s visit
to Oracle Arena, while Ellis and Curry combined for 56 points on their home
floor. The ‘over’ is 4-1 in Golden
State’s last five spots that followed putting up 100 points in its prior game,
while the same wager has cashed at 8-3 in Oklahoma City’s last 11 contests as a
road favorite of 4 ½ points or less.
The scoreboards around the league have seen fewer points this year, giving
oddsmakers no choice but to make this matchup’s ‘total’ the lowest in recent
memory between the clubs. However, the
Warriors and Thunder have three and two days of rest ahead of them,
respectively, which should let both clubs run and gun here to the final buzzer.
My Pick: Take the 'Over'