The Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors will face off for the third time this season when they meet again Friday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. Oklahoma City comes in with the best record in the NBA at 29-5, while Golden State is struggling a bit at 18-16.
Let’s take a look at my Thunder vs. Warriors Predictions.
Odds of Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors
Moneyline: Thunder -360 / Warriors +285
Spread: Thunder -7 (-106) / Warriors +7 (-114)
Total: More than 228.5 (-110) / Less than 228.5 (-110)
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors Best Bet No. 1: Thunder -7 (-106)
As you might expect, Oklahoma City made routine work of the first two meetings between these two teams. The defending NBA champions recorded a 126-102 score at home on November 11, went to Golden State and recorded a 124-112 win on December 2. OKC will be without big men Isaiah Hartenstein (calf) and Jaylin Williams (heel) on Friday. However, backup center Branden Carlson appears to be a capable replacement in the short term. Carlson helped with 12 points, seven rebounds and one block in 20 minutes of work during Wednesday’s 124-95 humiliation of Portland. Chet Holmgren, who is 7’1″, can also fill in low as either a power forward or a center. Additionally, the Warriors are not exactly a team that will exploit an opponent’s absences at a low level. They are, of course, led by Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler. Center Quinten Post is averaging a modest 7.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Golden State may have home field advantage, but OKC is 12-3. By comparison, only two teams in the entire NBA (the Pistons and Cavs) are better at it At home than Oklahoma City is on the market away. The Dubs are also coming off a three-game road trip to the Eastern Conference, in which they played three games in a span of five days. Even with a bad night on Thursday, fatigue can still play a role.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors best player prop bet: Chet Holmgren Over 18.5 points (-114)
Holmgren scored 23 and 21 points in the first two games with Golden State – despite logging just 25 minutes in what was a total blowout when they played in Oklahoma City. The Warriors had no chance of stopping him either. Holmgren shot a combined 17-for-21 from the floor in those two games, including 4-for-5 from three-point range.
The Gonzaga product is also doing well at the moment. He has scored at least 24 points in two of the last three games, shooting 26-for-41 from the field and 5-for-11 from deep during that stretch. Homgren may have an even bigger workload than usual with Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams on the shelf.
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