The Oklahoma City Thunder pay a visit to the Phoenix Suns at the Mortgage Matchup Center on Sunday night. Here’s a Suns vs Thunder Prediction. This article will include a Suns vs Thunder Pick.
Oklahoma City Thunder Betting Preview
The Oklahoma City Thunder are starting to heat up again as they are now riding a four-game win streak after blowing past the Warriors in a 131-94 road win on Friday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 30 points and seven assists on 10 of 20 shooting, Branden Carlson, Chet Holmgren and Andrew Wiggins each scored 15 points while Jalen Williams chipped in with 12 points. As a team, the Thunder shot 52 percent from the field and 16 of 38 from the 3-point line as they swarmed the severely shorthanded Warriors from the start and never looked in any danger after taking a 64-45 lead going into halftime. The Thunder were relentless on the defensive end as they held the Warriors to just 36 percent shooting for the entire game.
Phoenix Suns Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns have sprung back to life with five wins in their past six outings and they will be eager to stay hot after smashing the struggling Kings in a 129-102 win on Friday. Devin Booker led the team with 33 points and five assists on 13 of 21 shooting, Dillon Brooks added 18 points on eight of 14 shooting while Mark Williams and Collin Gillespie each scored 15 points. As a team, the Suns shot a healthy 56 percent from the field and eight of 31 from the 3-point line as they leaned heavily on Booker to carry their offense in the first half. Before the rest of the team caught fire to finish with 67 points in the second half.
Why the Phoenix Suns will win
- The Suns have won each of their last five night games.
- The Thunder have lost three of their last five games as favorites against Western Conference opponents following a win.
- The Suns have covered the spread in each of their last seven night games.
- The Thunder have failed to cover the spread in 11 of their last 13 road games against Western Conference opponents that held a winning record.
Why the Oklahoma City Thunder will win
- The Thunder have won each of their last 18 games on the first leg of a back-to-back.
- The Suns have lost each of their last 14 night games against Thunder teams that held a winning record.
- The Suns have failed to cover the spread in each of their last seven games at Mortgage Matchup Center against Thunder teams that held a winning record.
- The Thunder have covered the spread in each of their last seven road games against Pacific Division opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Seven of the Suns’ last eight home games against opponents who are on the first leg of a back-to-back have gone OVER the total points line.
- Seven of the Thunder’s last eight games as road favorites against opponents who are on the first leg of a back-to-back have gone OVER the total points line.
Phoenix Suns Player Facts
- Mark Williams ranks 4th amongst qualified players for FG% (65.7%) this season.
- Collin Gillespie ranks 10th amongst qualified players for three-pointers made per 36 minutes (3.9) this season.
Oklahoma City Thunder Player Facts
- Chet Holmgren is the only player to have made 9+ field goals without a miss in a game this season.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ranks 1st amongst qualified players for points per 36 minutes (34.9) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Suns rank 1st in the league for steals per game this season (10.8).
- The Suns have suffered the largest comeback loss when leading through Q3 this season – led by 18 points vs Hawks on November 16.
- The Thunder rank 1st in the league for opponent points per game this season (107.1).
- The Thunder rank 1st in the league for point differential per game this season (+15.3).
Suns vs Thunder Prediction
The Thunder are still missing Jaylin Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein and Ousmane Dieng with Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe both listed as questionable, while the Suns have ruled out Jalen Green with Grayson Allen listed as questionable. The Thunder cooled off when the injury toll started to rise, but they’ve steadied the ship and are now on another win streak and full of confidence following their 37-point win over the Warriors in their last outing. The Suns come into this meeting with plenty of momentum, albeit against lesser competition, but they are relatively healthy and are capable of pulling off the upset if someone can have a big scoring night alongside Booker. I think the thunder still get the win on the road, but I think the line is just high enough to take the Suns to keep this close at the end.