The Western Conference heavyweights clash Sunday night as Oklahoma City Thunder (41-18) will face the Phoenix Suns (35-25) at the Empreinte Center. The Thunder are in the running for the conference’s top seed, but the Suns are probably considered the biggest threat for the title. These teams played once earlier in the season, with the Thunder winning 111-99 in a game that didn’t feature Devin Booker for Phoenix. Both teams enter this competition with a defeat.
The Thunder are clean on the injury front. Phoenix won’t submit an official injury report until 3 p.m. ET, but the status of Booker, Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic is worth monitoring. Booker appeared to suffer an ankle injury Saturday night, while Nurkic was injured earlier in the game. Beal returned from a hamstring injury and played only 20 minutes, before being forced out.
The Thunder are favorites with 5.5 points according to DraftKings Sports Betting, with a total of 233.5. Oklahoma City is -225 on the moneyline while Phoenix is +185.
Thunder vs. Suns, 9:30 p.m. ET
Choose ATS: Thunder -5.5
Even if Kevin Durant suits up on the second night of a back-to-back set, he’ll likely deal with a limited cast. Phoenix is 5-5 ATS without rest and 4-5 ATS with a rest disadvantage. The Thunder are 8-5-1 ATS with a rest advantage and are 16-12-1 ATS as a road team. Even if that number hits 9-9 ATS as a road favorite, a healthy Thunder team is easier to support against a potentially depleted Suns roster. I like Oklahoma City to take advantage of their opportunity and get a big win on Sunday night.
More less : Less than 233.5
The Thunder are the league’s friendliest team in terms of percentage, but they are 2-1-2 in overs since the All-Star break. The Suns have fallen under their total in every game since the break, and the previous meeting between these teams went well below that figure. With Phoenix potentially missing three starters, I like the under in this one.
