Two teams heading in opposite directions clash when the Golden State Warriors visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. Here’s a complete preview, including betting odds and free NBA picks.
Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 – 08:00 PM EDT at Paycom Center
The Warriors opened at -9 at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review) and over at FiveThirtyEight, they have them at -4.5. FiveThirtyEight gives the Warriors a 67 percent chance to win. The equivalent
This leaves a 5.5-point gap between the FiveThirtyEight projections and the actual NBA odds. We needed the Warriors at -11 at FiveThirtyEight in order to lay any serious wood. There’s no betting value on the Warriors but the Over might be the way to go, with Derrick Favors (plus-1.8 Defensive Box Plus/Minus last season) held out of the game for rest purposes.
The Steph Curry Show
Stephen Curry (plus-5.6 Offensive Box Plus/Minus) picked up where he left off last season, going off for 31.0 points per game in three contests this year. Curry is a basketball purist, his mastery has been on display early on and his handles, understanding of angles, deceptiveness and touch make him unstoppable. The Lakers, Clippers and Kings all witnessed it first-hand this week and he also leads the Warriors with 9.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.3 steals. The three-time NBA champion has also proved that he can impact games on the rare occasions when he struggles with his shot, like in the season opener in LA.
The Thunder have a star of their own in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who leads the team with 20.0 points per game this season. Gilgeous-Alexander can explode on offense and trade baskets with Curry if he has to, keeping OKC in the game while helping make it a high-scoring affair. This is a young team with a lot of question marks and they still need to figure out how their best player fits with rookie Josh Giddey, the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Giddey already averages a team-best with 4.7 assists and the Thunder need a big game from him at both ends of the floor but we can’t expect him to contain Jordan Poole.
Prediction
With Favors out for the Thunder, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney can have a field day. Look for Isaiah Roby, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Mike Muscala to see minutes at center or even start, leaving OKC exposed and while the home team doesn’t have as many weapons as the Warriors, they’re a young squad that can play at a fast pace and put up a lot of points. The Over is 5-2 in Golden State’s last seven games following an ATS win, 16-6 in Oklahoma City’s last 22 games as a home underdog and 16-6 in Oklahoma City’s last 22 home games.
NBA Pick: Over 222 (-113) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
