The Brooklyn Nets and the Oklahoma City Thunder do battle at the Paycom Center on Friday night. Here’s a Thunder vs Nets Prediction. This article will include a Thunder vs Nets Pick.
Brooklyn Nets Betting Preview
The Brooklyn Nets have been in terrible form as they’ve lost 20 of their last 25 games overall and they will be hoping to avoid a third straight defeat after getting trampled by the Cavaliers in a 112-84 road defeat last night. Michael Porter Jr led the team in scoring with just 14 points, Ochai Agbaji added 13 points off the bench while Danny Wolf chipped in with 11 points, but no other player scored more than 10 points. As a team, the Nets shot a horrid 34 percent from the field and 14 of 49 from the 3-point line as they looked completely outmatched from the tipoff and were always fighting a losing battle after getting outscored by 34-16 in the first quarter. The Nets were able to go on a bit of a run in the second quarter to avoid getting blown out, but they went ice-cold coming out of the halftime break to get smashed in the end.
Oklahoma City Thunder Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder have cooled off a bit lately as they’ve dropped six of their last 11 games overall and they will be hoping to bounce back in this one after getting trampled by the Bucks in a 110-93 home defeat last Thursday. Isaiah Joe led the team with 17 points, Chet Holmgren tallied 16 points with 13 rebounds and four assists while Jared McCain chipped in with 13 points off the bench but no other player finished in double figures in scoring. As a team, the Thunder shot just 37 percent from the field and 15 of 45 from the 3-point line as they struggled against the pesky defense of the Bucks from the tipoff and quickly found themselves in trouble after allowing 37 points in the second quarter. We kept waiting for the Thunder to go on a run and steal the game at the end, but instead they scored just 38 points in the second half to suffer one of their worst defeats of the season.
Why the Oklahoma City Thunder will win
- The Nets have lost each of their last 11 night games against teams that held a winning record.
- The Thunder have won 18 of their last 19 games when playing with a rest advantage against the Nets.
- The favorites have covered the spread in each of the Nets’ last six games at Paycom Center.
- The Nets have failed to cover the spread in nine of their last 10 games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Why the Brooklyn Nets will win
- The Thunder have lost three of their last four games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Nets have won three of their last four games as underdogs against Northwest Division opponents.
- The Thunder have failed to cover the spread in each of their last five home games against teams that held a losing record.
- The road team has covered the spread in each of the Thunder’s last four games.
Total Points Facts
- Eight of the Thunder’s last nine games against Atlantic Division opponents have gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of the Nets’ last four road games on the second leg of a back-to-back have gone UNDER the total points line.
Oklahoma City Thunder Player Facts
- Cason Wallace ranks 2nd amongst qualified players for steals per game (2.0) this season.
- Chet Holmgren is one of only two players to have made 9+ field goals without a miss in a game this season.
Brooklyn Nets Player Facts
- Day’Ron Sharpe ranks 8th in the league for second chance points (159) this season.
- Noah Clowney ranks 4th amongst qualified Centers for three-pointers made per game (2.1) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Thunder rank 1st in the league for opponent points per game this season (108.0).
- The Thunder rank 1st in the league for point differential per game this season (+11.7).
- The Nets rank 30th in the league for points per game this season (107.2).
- The Nets rank 30th in the league for rebounds per game this season (40.6).
Thunder vs Nets Prediction
The Nets are still slightly shorthanded with Nic Claxton ruled out, while the Thunder have ruled out Jalen Williams, Shai GIlgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell. The Nets have been one of the coldest teams in the league, they have shown glimpses of their potential this season, but between those rare wins have been plenty of blowout defeats like we saw last night. The Thunder haven’t been at their ruthless best lately as they’re dealing with some key injuries, but they got outplayed so badly in their big loss to the Bucks in their last game that I can’t imagine they won’t start strong in this one. The Nets just don’t have the firepower to hang with the Thunder if Porter Jr doesn’t have a monster night, so I will back the Thunder to bounce back with a comfortable win and cover in this spot.