Thunder vs Nets Prediction

Brooklyn Nets (15-20) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (23-10)

Game Info: Friday, January 5, 2024 at 7:30 pm (Barclays Center)

Betting Odds: Brooklyn Nets +5.5 -- Over/Under: 235

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets do battle at the Barclays Center on Friday night. Here’s a Thunder vs Nets Prediction.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been in great form as they've won eight of their last 10 games overall, but they will be hoping to bounce back here after having their five-game win streak snapped by the Hawks in a 141-138 road defeat on Wednesday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 33 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, Jalen Williams added 21 points with six assists while Luguentz Dort chipped in with 14 points. As a team, the Thunder shot 54 percent from the field and 18 of 36 from the 3-point line as they didn't come out with their usual focus and got burned by 76 points in the first half to put them behind by 21 points. The Thunder rallied with 69 points in the second half to make it interesting late, but they just didn't deserve to win after playing almost no defense in the first half.

Oklahoma City Thunder Player Facts

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ranks 1st amongst qualified players for steals per game (2.5) this season.
• Chet Holmgren ranks 1st amongst qualified Centers for 3P% (40.7%) this season.

Brooklyn Nets

Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets have been in terrible shape as they've won 10 of their last 12 games overall and they will be hoping to snap a five-game slide after getting routed by the Rockets in a 112-101 road defeat on Wednesday. Cam Johnson led the team with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists, Mikal Bridges added 15 points on five of 18 shooting, Nic Claxton added 12 points with 13 rebounds and two blocks while Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in with just 11 points and five assists. As a team, the Nets shot just 38 percent from the field and 13 of 44 from the 3-point line as they got off to a decent start to take the lead into halftime, only to get blown out in the third quarter where they allowed 38 points to trail by as many as 18 points.

Brooklyn Nets Player Facts

• Nicolas Claxton ranks 2nd in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for Blocks Per Game (2.4) this season.
• Spencer Dinwiddie ranks 6th in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for assists per game (6.5) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Nets rank 30th in the league for opponent turnovers per game this season (11.9).
• The Nets rank 2nd in the league for rebounds per game this season (46.8).
• The Thunder rank 30th in the league for offensive rebounds per game this season (8.2).
• The Thunder rank T1st in the league for blocks per game this season (6.5).

Thunder vs Nets Prediction

The Thunder are coming into this one fresh off a narrow loss to the Hawks, but they are still one of the hottest teams in the league as they've won eight o fhteir last 10 games. In contrast, the Nets are mired in their worst slump of the season so far and they just got blown out by hte Rockets in a tough loss on Wednesday. The line is just short enough here, so i'll happily back the more reliable Thunder to bounce back with a win and cover here.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.