The Brooklyn Nets have been one of the best teams in the NBA since the all-star break and will look to win their fifth game in a row when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Nets are sixth in the East standings but the competition they’ve faced lately may not match up with the type of intensity the Thunder can throw at them. The Thunder look to be righting the ship after a clutch road win over the Jazz and are 8-2 SU in their last 10 home games.
The Thunder opened as 7.5-point favorites with a total of 229.5.
Standout Stats
- The Nets have been underdogs of 7 points or more in 13 games this season. In those games, Brooklyn is 2-11 SU and 7-6 ATS. When those games are on the road, the Nets are 1-9 SU and 5-5 ATS.
- Sticking with the theme above, the Thunder are 12-6 SU and 8-10 ATS in 18 games when favorites of 7 points or more. In home games in that spot, they’re 12-4 SU and 8-8 ATS in 16 games.
- Brooklyn has covered the spread in five of its last six trips to Oklahoma City and is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 road games overall.
- Since the all-star break (nine games), Brooklyn’s defense has been one of the best in the NBA, ranking fourth in points allowed per game (103.3) and first in both opponent field-goal (41.1) and three-point percentage (30.4). Why those percentages are impressive is because opponents are averaging 93.1 shots per game (ranked 24th) and 34.3 attempts from behind the arc (ranked 21st).
- The total has gone UNDER in the Nets’ last five games (avg. combined score: 208.8) while the UNDER has also hit in seven of the Thunder’s last nine games (avg. combined score: 223.1).
My Best Bet for Nets vs Thunder
UNDER 229.5
I looked hard at the Thunder’s line and I just think it’s too many points to feel comfortable taking them in this spot given how the Nets have played lately. The Nets defense has been excellent since the break as I noted above and while some bettors may think that should mean I take the Nets to cover, I don’t feel great about that angle either.
That’s why I settled with the UNDER because based on how these two teams have performed lately, this feels like about 10 points too many. Only three of the Nets’ nine games since the break have gone over 229 points and the Thunder’s offense looks like it’s still picking up the pieces to reincorporate Paul George into the lineup. When these teams faced each other back in December, the combined final score was 226 and the Nets only lost by two points.
