Tag Archives: Oklahoma City Thunder

Clippers Over Thunder and Friday Night’s NBA Picks

Our NBA picks for Thursday night’s slate were nearly perfect, as we nailed Dwyane Wade and the Bulls getting a win in Miami, the Warriors over the Nuggets and the Pelicans getting their first win of the year.

The one game we couldn’t correctly pick? The Lakers somehow getting to 5-3 with a big road win over the Kings.

Sacramento should be ashamed of themselves.

Regardless, we’ll take a 3-1 record on any four-game slate, and if we can stretch that out to 6-2 on Friday’s 8-game slate, that ratio would also offer plenty of winnings. Hopefully that was the situation for you last night and again the same tonight. To get there, let’s first run through each matchup and see which way you may want to be leaning with your NBA betting:

Cleveland Cavaliers (n/a) @ Washington Wizards (n/a)

The betting info isn’t out for this one yet, as Wiz stud point guard John Wall keeps getting thrown out of games and shooting guard Brad Beal is iffy with a sore hamstring. Needless to say, this makes the Wiz (2-5) a tough bet against the 6-1 Cavs.

Wall is going to play and Beal might, but it probably won’t make a difference for a Washington team that does not defend. A close game still wouldn’t be shocking, but this may be best to go straight up in, and we’re taking the Cavs.

Pick: Cavs 106, Wizards 101

Indiana Pacers (-5.5) @ Philadelphia 76ers (+5.5)

Indiana griped about not having any team continuity recently and then they went out and beat the Sixers. That game was in Indy and Joel Embiid wasn’t playing, however. Now we get to see this matchup (one where the Pacers needed OT to get the win) in Philly with the Sixers a little stronger down low.

It’s obviously tough to trust the 76ers at any point, much less against a talented Pacers squad as they search for their first win of the year. We vouched for the Sixers last time, but tonight we’ll just give them a shot at beating the spread.

Pick: Pacers 107, Sixers 104

Toronto Raptors (+2.5) @ Charlotte Hornets (-2.5)

Charlotte has been surprisingly sharp all season, but tonight they’ll host a good Raptors team without their best defensive stopper. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has already been ruled out for this one, and while his absence should open up Charlotte’s shooting, his defense will be sorely missed.

It really is a big loss for a Hornets team that is allowing just over 96 points per game. Charlotte’s defense takes a hit, but this is a tough matchup, regardless. Toronto slows the pace and plays very good defense themselves. We’re calling for the mild upset her, as Toronto has their full arsenal and Charlotte’s four-game winning streak feels like it has gone on long enough.

Pick: Raptors 101, Hornets 98

Utah Jazz (-4.5) @ Orlando Magic (+4.5)

The Magic look like a team that will be very fun to pick on this year. They actually are somehow 3-5 through eight games and are 2-2 at the Amway Center, but they have no distinct identity. They are far worse on the road, but they don’t defend at all and they even struggle offensively. When both aren’t clicking, they’re a nightmare to watch.

That should be bad news tonight, since Utah has Gordon Hayward and possibly George Hill back and tend to play elite defense. The Jazz have been a middling unit so far (just 5-4), but that hasn’t kept them from giving up just 95 points per game on the year. They’re also getting used to playing on the road, as they’ve gone a solid 3-3 away from home. It’s unlikely they get tripped up versus the Magic in this one.

Pick: Jazz 101, Magic 96

New York Knicks (+5.5) @ Boston Celtics (-5.5)

Carmelo Anthony and co. have surprisingly looked pretty good this year, as they’re putting up points (103 per game) at a solid rate and slowly finding themselves defensively. They’re still just 3-4, though, and continue to struggle on the road (1-2).

Boston has had its own struggles (just 3-4, as well), but they’re at home and boast a more explosive offense. Not having Jae Crowder (ankle) could hurt them, but this is a game they should win and their three-game skid needs to end. Look for the Celtics to get back to .500.

Pick: Celtics 105, Knicks 101

Los Angeles Clippers (-5) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (+5)

Los Angeles heads to OKC tonight, as they get a second shot at the only team to have beaten them so far in this young NBA season. The Thunder did that in L.A., yet with a rematch in their own backyard (where they’re 4-1), the oddsmakers weirdly support the Clippers.

Perhaps the backing of Lob City has to do with the Clipper’s league-leading defense (allowing just 88 points per game) or their strong offense (105 points per game). Whatever the case, this game is naturally in danger of going the other way, and Vegas knows it. That being said, OKC has proven they’re one of the better teams in the Western Conference and they don’t lose at home easily. They’ll at least beat the spread in a tight one.

Pick: Clippers 104, Thunder 102

Detroit Pistons (+9.5) @ San Antonio Spurs (-9.5)

This is certainly one of the bigger spreads to both fear and target. Detroit is plain old awful on the road right now (0-4) and I don’t buy San Antonio losing this much at home forever (1-3!). The Spurs clearly have some issues right now, but Danny Green just got back and Tony Parker returns tonight. I fully expect the Spurs to start righting the ship at home and it begins tonight against the Pistons.

Pick: Spurs 98, Pistons 86

Sacramento Kings (+7) @ Portland Trail Blazers (-7)

This might be the weirdest game on Friday’s NBA slate, as the Kings just lost to the Lakers last night and will badly want to get that taste out of their mouths. That being said, Portland has picked up where they left off last year, going 5-4 through their first nine games while putting up 106 points per night.

DeMarcus Cousins could have his way in this matchup, but it feels like this is the same old Kangz and their 2-4 road record isn’t doing them any favors. They should fight, though, so I’ll take the Kings to beat the spread.

Pick: Blazers 109, Kings 107

Thunder Over Warriors and Thursday’s NBA Predictions

Last night we took an exclusive look at upset specials with our NBA picks, and if you went with our logic, you may have won big. We pointed out four underdogs that were at least with a cursory glance, and when the night was over, New Orleans beat the spread in OT, OKC upset the Clippers in L.A. and the Lakers somehow beat the Hawks in Atlanta.

The two we really went after and vouched for were the Pellies and Thunder, but either way, those three upsets were very much on the map and hopefully you were able to cash in on them.

Tonight the NBA slate quiets down a bit with just five games, so we’re back to a regular preview piece on each game. If you’re thinking of doing any pro basketball betting tonight, lean on our analysis and NBA picks for Thursday night:

Sacramento Kings (-1) @ Orlando Magic (+1)

Orlando finally gets a break tonight, as they head back home to the Amway Center after an ugly three-game road trip where they went 1-2 and got housed twice. The Magic made big moves this summer to improve their defense, yet they’ve been absolutely atrocious in that department (allowing 105 points per game) and now they welcome DeMarcus Cousins and co. into town.

The matchup does not bode well for the Magic, as Nikola Vucevic is not a good defender and very well could get in foul trouble early in this one. On the flip side, Sacrmaneto’s slower pace under new head coach David Joerger is improving their efficiency and overall defense. If they can bounce back from a tough OT loss to the Heat, they should get a nice road win here and get to 3-3.

Pick: Kings 106, Magic 104

Boston Celtics (+10.5) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (-10.5)

Boston was seen by oddsmakers as Cleveland’s main competition out of the Eastern Conference coming into the new year, so we’ll get to see right away if that’s the case. Then again, the Celtics are down both Al Horford (concussion) and Jae Crowder (ankle) and will be playing the second game of a back to back set when they enter the Quicken Loans Arena tonight.

None of that is good news for Boston, who absolutely could still fight back against this unkind spread, but probably will ultimately wilt on the road. They’re going to be very good again this year, but beating the Cavs in Cleveland at full strength would be a reach. As they stand, a win and even beating the spread feels impossible.

Pick: Cavs 108, Celtics 96

Denver Nuggets (+3.5) @ Minnesota Timberwolves (-3.5)

Denver is hurting at shooting guard right now with both Gary Harris and Will Barton out for this one, but this still figures to be a fairly even matchup in Minnesota. The Wolves are a bit banged up, as well, with veteran point guard Ricky Rubio also sidelined.

This is a battle to escape the bottom of the Northwest Division at the moment, and given Minnesota’s home edge, superior defense and equal offense, we give them the nod. That’s largely due to a likely big game out of KAT, who has endured three tough matchups to start the year and should find work to be easier down low in this one.

Pick: Timberwolves 105, Nuggets 101

Indiana Pacers (-2.5) @ Milwaukee Bucks (+2.5)

This is another game that should be fairly fast-paced and hopefully competitive. Both of these teams come in at 2-2 and have shown two things: they want to run the floor and score points, but can’t stop anyone at the other end. Milwaukee has the ever so slight edge with this game at the Bradley Center tonight, but it won’t be enough to get to 3-2.

Indiana is still trying to see what works best with their new pieces, but they have Paul George and a more stacked starting five. The talent gap is pretty wide here and Milwaukee just doesn’t have enough reliable outside shooting. This one should be fast and provide points, but the Pacers should pull away in the end.

Pick: Pacers 102, Bucks 99

Oklahoma City Thunder (+10.5) @ Golden State Warriors (-10.5)

Russell Westbrook said tonight’s showdown with ex-teammate Kevin Durant is just another game, but we don’t buy that for a second. These teams hate each other and there is no doubt both will be fired up for this one – specifically Russ and KD.

The Thunder come in as one of two undefeated teams in the league, and the only remaining perfect squad in the Western Conference. It’d only be fitting for the Dubs to be the ones to hand them their first loss, but an OKC win early in the year actually provides the more interesting narrative. Not only would it drop the Dubs to 0-2 at home (blasphemy!), but it’d also stir up those “the Warriors are awful” conversations.

it’s going to take time for KD and everyone to click and figure it out, while the Thunder have better chemistry right now and Russ is just flat out possessed. Obviously Golden State is a big favorite here, but we expect this game to be competitive with a ton of chatter. OKC to beat the spread makes a ton of sense here and we’ll even go as far as to say they’ll get the win behind a huge effort from Westbrook.

Pick: Thunder 108, Warriors 106