Suns vs Thunder Predictions & Odds (March 19)

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) March 17, 2023

He has averaged 34 points per game on 55.1% shooting from the field in the five games he’s been active for this month, helping propel the Thunder to a 4-1 record in those games. Without him, OKC owns just a 2-2 mark in March.

It’s crunch time for the Thunder as they look to qualify for the postseason for the first time in three years. Finishing anywhere from 5th to 12th is still realistic in a very crowded Western Conference playoff picture.

Western Conference Standings

**Prior to Saturday’s Games**

On the season, the Thunder have brought the best bang for your buck of any team in the Association when wagering on them to win straight up. Even though they’re under .500, underdog odds have paid off quite well, and OKC have been returning 16.55% on your investment if you’ve taken them every game on the moneyline this year.

Suns Struggling Since Durant Went Down

It didn’t appear as if Durant’s injury would phase them much, as the Suns destroyed the Thunder by 31 points the night he got injured. Since then, it’s been a bit of a disaster.

Phoenix lost three in a row, with none of those defeats being that close, before squeaking out a three point victory over Orlando at home on Thursday. They’ve failed to cover in four straight games. When it comes to the NBA championship odds, the Suns have slipped back to being the 3rd betting favorite after this poor stretch of play.

Offensively, they’ve come back down to Earth since their first four games in the month where they scored 125 or more points in three games. They have failed to hit the 120 mark in four games since, no doubt hindered by the loss of Durant.

Suns vs Thunder Prediction

While Phoenix definitely doesn’t want to slide out of the top four, this game is significantly more important to the Thunder. They’ve lost in both head-to-head meeting with the Suns this year, but both of those were on the road, where OKC is 13-21 this year as opposed to a 21-15 mark at home.

Suns vs Thunder Recent Results

The Suns have absolutely owned the Thunder over the last couple years, going 7-1 against OKC in their last eight meetings, but that only loss came on the road and the Thunder are 2-1 ATS in those contests on their own court. In addition, the Thunder are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games.

Both teams haven’t played since Thursday, giving them each two full days off between games. Although they sport one of the youngest squads in the league, extra rest has proved beneficial to the Thunder this campaign, as they’ve gone 10-5-1 ATS with at least two days off, as opposed to a 6-8-1 ATS mark for the Suns in the same situation.

Not only are we picking the Thunder to cover in the NBA odds, but our prediction is that they win this game outright and take some revenge for that brutal loss to the Suns last week.

Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder Moneyline (+115)