At 9:30 ET, the Oklahoma City Thunder (-181) will take on the Phoenix Suns (+150) in a Western Conference matchup. The Thunder are currently favored by 4.5 points, and the over/under line is set at 234.

This game will be played at the Footprint Center in Phoenix and can be seen on ESPN. Oklahoma City (41-18) is currently 2nd in the Western Conference, while Phoenix (35-25) sits in 6th place.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER VS PHOENIX SUNS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder -4.5

This game will be played at Footprint Center at 9:30 ET on Sunday, March 3rd.

WHY BET THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 136-128 in favor of the Thunder.
  • Our projections have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finishing with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.
  • From the field, we have the Thunder finishing with a field goal percentage of 50.5% and knocking down 13 threes.

Can the Thunder Pull Off a Road Win?

Today, the Thunder are favored by 4.5 points against the Suns. This season, Oklahoma City has been favored in 43 of their 59 games, going 32-11 in those games. As the favorite, they have an ATS record of 27-16 (17-12 on the road).

Oklahoma City’s O/U record for the season is 33-25-1, and their games have averaged a combined scoring total of 234.6 points per game. This is right in line with today’s O/U line of 234.

In their last game, the Thunder lost to the Spurs by a score of 132-118. The O/U line for that game was 238.5 points. Oklahoma City was favored by 11 points going into the game, so they did not cover the spread (-14 margin).

Despite the loss, the Thunder are still in 2nd place in the Western Conference with a record of 41-18. Against Western Conference teams, they are 25-14 compared to 16-4 in non-conference games. On the road, the Thunder are 17-12.

The Thunder have been one of the most efficient offenses in the league this season, ranking 3rd in scoring at 121.2 points per game. However, they have been slightly better at home, averaging 123.6 points compared to 118.8 on the road.

When it comes to pace, Oklahoma City ranks 11th in the league at 99.8 possessions per game. In terms of shooting, the Thunder are 2nd in field goal percentage at 50% and 1st in three-point shooting at 39%.

So far, the Thunder have outscored the NBA scoring average in 69.5% of their games. In terms of assists, they are 11th in the league at 27 per game.

Currently, the Thunder’s defense holds the 13th rank in the NBA, allowing 113.3 points per game. When it comes to defending inside the arc, the Thunder squad is permitting opposing teams to shoot at a clip of 51.4% inside the arc, and they’re also giving up 36.5% from downtown.

Can the Suns Lock in a Home Win?

In their last game, the Suns lost to the Rockets by a score of 118-109. The O/U line for the game was 232.5, and Phoenix was favored by 8.5 points going into the game.

This season, the Suns have an O/U record of 27-33, and their games have averaged 231.6 points per game. Today’s O/U line is set at 234, and Phoenix has seen 34 of their games finish with lower O/U lines than that.

Against the spread, the Suns are 24-35 overall and have failed to cover in their last two games. At home, they are 12-19 ATS, and their average scoring margin vs. the spread at home is +3.1 PPG.

As the underdog this season, the Suns are 5-9 straight up and 6-8 vs. the spread. On average, they have been outscored by 4.3 PPG in these games. Phoenix has been the underdog in 14 of their 60 games.

In the Western Conference standings, the Suns are currently in 6th place with a record of 35-25. Within the Pacific Division, they are 2nd. Against other Western Conference teams, the Suns are 21-18 compared to 14-7 in non-conference games.

This season, the Suns have been one of the most efficient offenses in the league, ranking 4th in field goal percentage and 5th in true shooting percentage. However, they are only 22nd in three-pointers made per game and 26th in three-point attempts.

When playing at home, Phoenix is averaging 117.3 points per game, which is 14th in the NBA. So far, they have outscored the league average in 53.3% of their games.

Heading into this game, the Suns have made the 2nd most free throws per game in the NBA. They are also 15th in assists and 21st in offensive rebounds.

Currently, the Suns’ defense holds the 16th rank in the NBA, allowing 114.4 points per game. In the terms of takeaways, Suns are causing 14.1 turnovers per game, ranking 25th in the league. They also enter the matchup ranked 5th in rejections, averaging 6.1 blocked shots each game.