Western Conference foes face off Tuesday night as the Golden State Warriors (34-31, 5th in the West) take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (30-34, 12th in the West). The Thunder will host this one at the Paycom Center, with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.
The Warriors are the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -198 to win, while the Thunder’s moneyline sits at +166. The spread features Oklahoma City as 5-point underdogs (-110).
Warriors Looking For Health As They Make Final Push
Steph Curry finally returned to the lineup in their last game, but the Warriors, who have been hampered by injuries all season, could still be without Andrew Wiggins (personal) and Ryan Rollins (foot) as they take on the Thunder Wednesday.
Golden State is currently fifth overall, 11.5 games behind the West-leading Nuggets. What might be of greater concern to them, though, is that three teams behind them are within a game. Needless to say, every win is imperative for Golden State at this point.
Offensively, the Warriors rank third in the NBA, averaging 118 points per game (119.4 at home). Leading the way is Curry, who is averaging 29.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists over 39 games.
Other significant contributors include Klay Thompson (22.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists) and Jordan Poole (20.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists).
Defensively, the Warriors rank just 22nd, averaging 117.1 points per game (123.2 on the road).
Thunder Look To Push Win Streak To Three
Even though the Thunder have lost six of their last 10, they come into this one having won back-to-back games over the Utah Jazz. On Tuesday, they will look to make it three home wins in a row as they take on the Warriors.
Like the Warriors, the Thunder struggle a bit on the defensive end. They rank just 20th overall in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 116.6 points per game.
Offensively, though, they have been elite, ranking second in the league, averaging 118.2 points per game (120.5 at home). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the team in scoring as he is putting up 31.1 points per night to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
Josh Giddey (16.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists), Luguentz Dort (14 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists), and Jalen Williams (13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists) have also had strong seasons.
Take The Thunder And The Points
Looking at the trends, Golden State is 8-1-1 against the spread in their last 10 games versus the Thunder and undefeated straight up in their last eight against them. On the road, however, they are 0-6 against the spread in their last six road games.
As for Oklahoma City, they are just 2-5 straight up in their last seven games, but they are 9-2 against the spread in their last 11 games played in march.
While Golden State is certainly the better team, they have struggled on the road this year. In fact, while they are 27-7 at home, they are just 7-24 on the road.
They still might pull this one off, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Thunder keep this one close. Take Oklahoma City +5 (-110) on the spread.
