Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans 12/23/22 NBA Picks, Predictions, Odds
New Orleans Pelicans (19-12) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (14-18)
December 23, 2022 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Oklahoma City Thunder -1.5; Over/Under: +232
(Get latest betting odds)
The New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder duke it out at the Paycom Center on Friday night.
The New Orleans Pelicans have won eight of their last 12 games and they will be eager to stay hot after snapping a four-game skid with a 126-117 home win over the Pelicans last night. CJ McCollum led the team with 40 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points with 10 rebounds while Trey Murphy chipped in with 15 points. As a team, the Pelicans shot 48 percent from the field and 13 of 34 from the 3-point line as they dominated the first quarter by 37-17 which allowed them to cruise the rest of the way with a double-digit cushion until the final possession.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been in decent shape as they’ve won six of their last 11 games and they will be looking to build on their three-game win streak after outlasting the Trail Blazers in a 101-98 home win on Wednesday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 27 points on eight of 19 shooting, Jalen Williams added 15 points on five of eight shooting while Luguentz Dort chipped in with 14 points. As a team, the Thunder shot 46 percent from the field and eight of 24 from the 3-point line as they got off to a cold start and had to claw their way back from an early 14-point deficit, but they looked to be in trouble again as they trailed by five points late in the fourth quarter before they closed the final 2:41 on a 8-0 run to escape with the unlikely win on free throws.
Looking at the betting trends, the Pelicans are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games and 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall. The Thunder are 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games and 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall.
Head to head, the Pelicans are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings overall.
The Pelicans are severely shorthanded again as Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Larry Nance Jr. are all out, while the Thunder have ruled out Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. The Pelicans come into this meeting as the team in better form, but they are playing their second game of a back to back set, so I’d rather side with the Thunder who haven’t played since beating the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. This should be a close one, but I’m sticking with the Thunder to get the win and cover at home.
