The Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors will be squaring off for the third time this season when they meet again at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California on Friday night. Oklahoma City comes in with the best record in the NBA at 29-5, while Golden State is scuffling a bit at 18-16.
Let’s dive into my Thunder vs. Warriors predictions.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors odds
Money line: Thunder -360 / Warriors +285
Spread: Thunder -7 (-106) / Warriors +7 (-114)
Total: Over 228.5 (-110) / Under 228.5 (-110)
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors best bet #1: Thunder -7 (-106)
As one would expect, Oklahoma City made routine work of the first two encounters between these two teams. The defending NBA champions coasted 126-102 at home on November 11 and went into Golden State and eased to a 124-112 victory on December 2. OKC will be without big men Isaiah Hartenstein (calf) and Jaylin Williams (heel) on Friday. However, backup center Branden Carlson appears to be a capable replacement in the short term. Carlson helped out to the tune of 12 points, seven rebounds and one block in 20 minutes of work during Wednesday’s 124-95 humiliation of Portland. Chet Holmgren, who is 7’1”, can also fill in down low as both a power forward and a center. Moreover, the Warriors are not exactly a team that will exploit an opponent’s absences down low. They are led, of course, on the perimeter by Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler. Center Quinten Post averages a modest 7.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest.
Golden State may have home-court advantage, but OKC is 12-3 on the road. For comparison, only two teams in the entire NBA (the Pistons and Cavs) are better at home than Oklahoma City is on the road. The Dubs are also coming off a three-game Eastern Conference road trip during which they played three games in the span of five days. Even with an off night on Thursday, fatigue could still be somewhat of a factor.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors best player prop bet: Chet Holmgren Over 18.5 points (-114)
Holmgren scored 23 and 21 points in the first two matchups with Golden State — despite logging just 25 minutes in what was a total blowout when they played in Oklahoma City. The Warriors had no chance of stopping him, either. Holmgren shot a combined 17-for-21 from the floor in those two games, including 4-for-5 from three-point range.
The Gonzaga product is playing well right now, too. He has scored at least 24 points in two of the last three outings, shooting 26-for-41 from the field and 5-for-11 from deep during this stretch. Homgren may get an even bigger workload than normal, too, with Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams on the shelf.
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