Oklahoma City Thunder vs New York Knicks Preview Dec 31
Oklahoma City Thunder vs New York Knicks Predictions
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Oklahoma City Thunder vs New York Knicks betting preview for Friday, December 31. At the time of posting, the Knicks are holding steady as a 4.5-point road favorite in Oklahoma City, with the total sitting at 205.5 points.
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| Fri, Dec 31 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | New York Knicks -4.5 at Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Total: | 205.5 Points |
| Game Time: | 8:10pm ET / 5:10pm PT |
| Arena: | Paycom Center |
| TV: | Bally Sports Oklahoma |
Oklahoma City Thunder vs New York Knicks Analysis
The New York Knicks will look for their 4th straight victory on New Years Eve as they travel to Oklahoma City for a meeting with the Thunder. This will be the first of two head-to-head meetings between these two teams.
The Knicks are now 17-18 on the year after defeating the Detroit Pistons 94-85 on Wednesday night. The Thunder lost 115-97 on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns, resulting in a 12-22 record on the season.
The New York Knicks have started of their road trip off on the right foot by winning two of their first four games. Alec Burks led the way for the Knicks with 34 points after the starters were benched due to poor performance. New York’s bench ended up scoring 65 points in the victory.
The Knicks have been ratcheting up their defense recently and only allow 105 points a game on average. New York is now just about 100% healthy and could really take advantage of this time period when most teams are not.
The Oklahoma City Thunder aren’t playing well recently, as they have lost three of their last four games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, Josh Giddey and Tre Mann are all questionable for this game after landing on the Covid list. This doesn’t bode well for OKC as SGA is their leading scorer with 22.7 points a game and Josh Giddey is their leading rebounder and assist man with 7.1 and 6.1 respectively.
The Thunder are an average defense that ranks 17th in points allowed. However, they play poorly on offense, scoring just over 100 points per game, ranking them a lowly 29th.
The New York Knicks are 4.5-point road favorites with an over/under set at 205.5. The Knicks are playing stellar defense and the Thunder could be missing several key contributors. The under has cashed in four of the Knicks last 5 games and New York has held their last three opponents to 88 points or less. The Knicks play at the 4th slowest pace in the league, while the Thunder are 19th. I’m rolling with the under in a matchup of two low scoring teams.
Official Play: UNDER 205.5 Points
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Free Play Video coming later…We have a 4% bet in the afternoon Pacers-Bulls game available…only $12. Grab it here if you’re interested in some NBA Afternoon Action: https://t.co/Xv2JkKSGRY
— Andy Lang (@BumpSports) December 31, 2021
Oklahoma City Thunder vs New York Knicks Preview from GoldSheet
Oklahoma City lost and failed to cover last two games, both on the road at the Kings and Suns, but the Thunder remain the third-best pointspread team in the league. Part of recent losing streak for OKC is the ankle injury to leading scorer G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, without whom the Thunder are 0-4 this year. OKC will also be without solid rookie PG Josh Giddey and C Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, both in quarantine.
New York will be without PF Julius Randle, by far HC Tom Thibodeau’s most productive contributor, and he joins Derrick Rose (ankle) on the sideline along with C Nerlens Noel, while G Evan Fournier is iffy with an ankle injury. Hate to make this a reading of the injury list, but Thunder as the home dog might be most appealing option with total chopped down to the size of a bush for fast-paced OKC side that pushes pace regardless of the lineup.
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Friday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Oklahoma City Thunder vs New York Knicks contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Join Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of guests for the NBA Tip-Off Show at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of professional handicappers as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this Oklahoma City Thunder vs New York Knicks clash, from a betting perspective.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NBA point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Friday’s NBA games, including this Oklahoma City Thunder vs New York Knicks showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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