Thunder vs. Knicks Prediction & Best Bet – January 10th

Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6 SU, 23-12 ATS) vs. New York Knicks (25-13 SU, 20-18 ATS)

When: Friday, January 10th, 7:30 PM (ET)

Where: Madison Square Garden, NY, New York

TV: NBA

Point Spread: OKC -3.5/NY +3.5

Total: 225.5

Money Line: Oklahoma City Thunder -164/+138

Notable Injuries

Thunder

• Alex Caruso (Out) Hip
• Chet Holmgren (Out) Hip
• Nikola Topic (Out) Knee
• Ajay Mitchell (Out) Toe

Knicks

• Karl-Anthony Towns (Questionable) Knee
• Mitchell Robinson (Out) Ankle
• Miles McBride (Questionable) Hamstring

At 7:30 ET, the Thunder (-164) will travel to Madison Square Garden to take on the Knicks (+138) in a non-conference matchup. Oklahoma City is favored by 3.5 points, and the over/under line is set at 225.5.

The Thunder are 30-6 overall and 1st in the Western Conference. The Knicks are 25-13 overall and 3rd in the Eastern Conference.

Recent Form

The Thunder dropped to 30-6 on the season after a 129-122 road loss to the Cavaliers on Wednesday. Oklahoma City entered the game as a +3-point underdog and failed to cover the spread. The total points of 251 exceeded the O/U line of 230.5 by 20.5 points.

Oklahoma City led 32-25 after the 1st quarter, but a 37-27 2nd quarter in favor of the Cavaliers shifted the momentum. The Thunder edged Cleveland 43-41 in the 3rd quarter, but they were outscored 26-20 in the 4th, sealing the loss.

The Knicks improved to 25-13 on the season with a 112-98 win over the Raptors on Wednesday. Playing at home, New York entered the game as -12 point favorites and covered the spread. The total points for the game were 210, well under the O/U line of 233.5.

New York’s key moment came with an 11-0 run, stretching the score from 68-62 to 79-62. They maintained control in the 4th quarter, outscoring Toronto 26-22 to close out the game.

The Historicals

The Thunder have had the better record vs the spread over the last five games, going 3-2. The team’s average scoring margin in these contests sits at 4 points per game. In these contests, they averaged a combined 244 points per game, leading to an over-under mark of 4-1.

Analysis

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 31 points in their 129-122 loss to the Cavaliers, shooting 48.1% from the field. Jalen Williams added 25 points and nine assists, while Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds, hitting 57.1% of his shots.

Oklahoma City shot 53.3% from the field but struggled from beyond the arc, making just 11 threes at a 35.5% rate. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 9 points in the 3rd quarter, while Williams also added 10 points in the period.

Despite a solid defensive effort in the 1st and 4th quarters, the Thunder struggled in the 2nd and 3rd, giving up 37 and 41 points, respectively, in their 129-122 loss to the Cavaliers. Oklahoma City allowed Cleveland to shoot 52% from the field, including 41% from beyond the arc, where the Cavaliers hit 15 threes.

The Thunder sent the Cavaliers to the line 27 times, where they converted 20 free throws. Oklahoma City finished with 29 defensive rebounds but allowed 12 offensive boards. They also recorded 9 steals and 5 blocks in the game.

OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 27 points in the Knicks’ win over the Raptors, with Anunoby hitting 4 threes at a 66.7% rate and Towns going 3-for-3 from deep. Josh Hart contributed 21 points and 11 rebounds, scoring 10 points in the 4th quarter.

The Knicks shot 47.7% from the field and 36.4% from three, making 12 threes in the game. Anunoby and Towns both scored 10+ points in the 2nd quarter, while Jalen Brunson added 6 of his 13 points in the 3rd.

The Knicks’ defense held the Raptors to 98 points on Wednesday, with consistent efforts in each quarter, including a strong 4th where they allowed just 22 points. Despite Toronto shooting 49% from the field, New York limited their three-point damage, giving up only 10 made threes on 38% shooting.

New York sent the Raptors to the line 15 times, where they made 12 free throws. The Knicks grabbed 28 defensive rebounds, allowing 8 offensive boards, and added 9 steals and 4 blocks in the win.

Betting Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Thunder have a straight up record of 8-2 while going 5-5 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 112 points per game in these contests.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, New York has an ATS record of 2-3 while averaging 120 per game. The team went 3-2 overall in these games.
• The last five games that New York was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 2-3 while going 2-3 straight up.
• Through their last three games as the favorite, the Thunder have an ATS record of 3-0 and a straight up mark of 3-0.

Joe”s Pick To Cover The Spread

The Thunder’s East Coast road trip continues, as they look to bounce back from their loss to Cleveland. However, they face another tough test vs the Knicks. Currently, the Thunder are favored by -3.5, but I think the Knicks will come out looking to pick up a statement win of their own. Keep an eye on Karl-Anthony Towns’ status heading into this one, but I like the Knicks on the money line.