Oklahoma vs New Orleans Prediction: the Thunder Won't Even Stuggle

Oklahoma usually has no problems at all in games against weaker opponents. The Western Conference leader's home game against New Orleans will be no exception. Will the Thunder win by a lot? Read a prediction for this game. We will look at the line and bookmakers' odds, statistical trends, and choose several betting options.

Oklahoma

The Thunder played their last game on the road against Memphis, their main rival in the Western Conference. Despite the tough opponent, the team did pretty well. Oklahoma was stronger in both halves of the court and beat the Grizzlies 125–112. Shay Gilgeous-Alexander was the Thunder's top scorer, as he has been in almost every game this season, with 32 points. Jalen Williams scored 25 points, and Aaron Wiggins finished the game with a double-double — 26 points, 11 rebounds.

So, Oklahoma got their fifth win in a row, and in the whole championship, the Thunder only lost 9 games in 51. They're leading the Western Conference standings with a handicap of 7.5 wins from the second line.

New Orleans

The Thunder's on a winning streak, but the Pelicans are on a losing one. They've lost eight games in a row. It's pretty clear that New Orleans doesn't want to finish the championship as low as possible. That way, they can strengthen their roster at the next draft. The Pelicans currently stand at 12-40, putting them at the very bottom of the Western Conference standings, just 0.5 games behind Utah. In their most recent game, Willie Green's team faced off against Sacramento on the road and lost by five points (118-123).

H2H Meetings

In this championship, Oklahoma beat New Orleans twice. Last season, the two teams met in the first round of the playoffs, and the Thunder closed the series with the Pelicans in four games. 

Stats Betting

• The two teams have met eight times before, and Oklahoma's won all of those games.
• They've reached a total of 234 points, but they haven't scored in the last nine matches.
• New Orleans scored more than 109 points in 9 of the 11 previous away games.
• Oklahoma reached 125 points in 5 of the last 8 home games.

Expert Betting Tips

Oklahoma's got the top spot in the Western Conference and leads in defensive rating. So, the Thunder's games are often low-scoring, and we're betting on TU in the next game. We're also taking Oklahoma's victory. The Thunder are way better than New Orleans, and the Pelicans have zero tournament motivation.

Our picks: 

W1 & TU (235.5) for 2.00 

TU (234.5) for 1.91 

H1 (-15.5) for 1.87