NBA Preview/ Free Pick: New Orleans Hornets vs Oklahoma City Thunder
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New Orleans Hornets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Betting Lines from Sportsbook.com
Wednesday 8:10PM EST
New Orleans: 32-18 SU, 27-22-1 ATS
Oklahoma City: 30-17 SU, 23-24 ATS
Moneyline: Off
NBA Betting Favorite: Oklahoma City -7
Over/Under: 193.5
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The New Orleans Hornets have been a very streaky team so far this year. New Orleans started the year with eight straight wins, then in December they lost five out of six. Prior to their last two games they had won ten straight, but they lost to both Sacramento and Phoenix in their last two contests. Oklahoma City is coming off an emotional loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday afternoon.
The Thunder led late, but they were unable to seal the deal. New Orleans beat Oklahoma City by a bucket just last week, so the Thunder will be looking to score some revenge in this one.
New Orleans has been successful this year because they are solid on the defensive end. The Hornets allow just 91.7 points per game. Opponents shoot just 44.2% from the floor and the Hornets are great on the defensive glass as well. David West is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 19 points per game. West is shooting 51.5% from the floor this season, which is the highest mark of his career.
Chris Paul is still the team’s overall leader at the point guard spot. Paul averages 16.7 points and 9.7 assists per contest. The improvement of the Hornets this year is primarily because of their improved depth. Guys like Trevor Ariza, Marco Belinelli, and Emeka Okafor are all making significant contributions. All three of those plays are averaging double figures in points this year.
The Hornets need to become a little more consistent, but this is a team that is much improved from a year ago.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had very high expectations going into this season. The team is playing pretty well, but they might not quite be meeting expectations at this point. The defensive end of the floor is still a concern for this team. Oklahoma City is allowing opponents to shoot 46.7% from the field. On the offensive end, the Thunder continue to impress. Kevin Durant is the most consistent scorer in the NBA, and Russell Westbrook is emerging as one of the best point guards in the league. Westbrook has upped his points per game from 16.1 last year to 22.6 this season.
He also averages 8.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. Durant’s numbers are down just a tick from a year ago, but he still averages 28.9 points per game. Serge Ibaka is also continuing to improve on the offensive end. There aren’t many teams in the NBA with more options on the offensive end than the Thunder. This isn’t a team anyone will want to play in the playoffs this year.
Gambling Trends:
NO are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Under is 24-7 in NO last 31 vs. NBA Northwest.
Over is 9-3 in NO last 12 vs. Western Conference.
Over is 11-3 in OKC last 14 Wed. games.
Over is 21-7 in OKC last 28 home games.
The Pick:
It will be a battle to see who can control the tempo in this game. Oklahoma City likes to run, while New Orleans slows the game down more than anyone else in the league right now. Considering the fact that these teams have met three times this season and the highest total score was 189 points, I think the under is a nice value here.
New Orleans vs. Oklahoma City Score Prediction: Oklahoma City 96 New Orleans 91
Kyle Hunter sports picks – A degree in finance and a great ability to follow important trends and statistics set him apart from the rest. Check out his plays today.
