November 12, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, United States; Phoenix Suns forward Keita Bates-Diop (21) takes the ball away from Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports
- Playing their second game in as many nights, the short-handed Phoenix Suns host the OKC Thunder on Sunday
- Oklahoma City is a heavy favorite on the road and can move into a tie for first place in the West with a win.
- Get Thunder vs Suns odds, player props and predictions
Just a half-game behind Minnesota for first place in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder (41-18, 17-12 away, ATS) head to the desert to face the Phoenix Suns (35-25, 20-12 at home, ATS) at Footprint Center Sunday night at 7:40 p.m. MT/9:40 p.m. ET.
The Suns are playing the second of back-to-back home games and are coming off an ugly 118-109 loss to Houston last night. With several Suns players suffering from injuries, the healthier and fresher Thunder are a strong favorite on the road.
OKC Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns Odds
| Team | Spread | Money line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| OKC Thunder | -6.5 (-108) | -250 | Over 233.5 (-110) |
| Phoenix Suns | +6.5 (-112) | +200 | Under 233.5 (-110) |
Sundays NBA Odds lists OKC as a 6.5-point road favorite at -250 on the moneyline. Phoenix comes back to +200 to win. The total of the game
THE NBA public betting splits show the public supports the Thunder as a road favorite, with 63% of the ATS on OKC to cover and 74% of the money on the Thunder to win straight up. Betting on the game total is more split; so far. 58% of overshoots/undershoots are above 233.5.
Thunder within reach of the first in the West
As the NBA playoff bracket Currently, the Thunder are just a half-game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 1 seed. With a 24-6 record on their home court this season, getting home-court advantage throughout the West playoffs would be a huge boost to OKC’s title chances.
Although it has the third best record in the NBA so far, OKC is not among the top five favorites in the last edition. NBA title odds. At +2067, the Thunder are the sixth seed and third among Western teams.
OKC blew a great chance to overtake the T-Wolves last time out, losing 132-118 in San Antonio as an 11.5-point road favorite on Thursday.
OKC was uncharacteristically poor defensively against San Antonio, allowing the Spurs to shoot 52.7% from the floor and 48.7% from three.
Leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another solid offensive night with 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting while Jalen Williams added 26 on 10-of-18 from the floor. SGA remains the second favorite of the NBA MVP Odds at +218, behind only two-time winner Nikola Jokic (-146) of the Denver Nuggets.
Despite the lopsided loss, OKC remains fourth in the league in defensive rating with 111.4 and third in O rating (119.4). Along with Boston, they are the only NBA teams to be in the top five in both categories.
The suns fade after the stars break
It’s been a rough restart for the Phoenix Suns coming off the All-Star break. The team is just 2-3 in five games, including two losses to the Houston Rockets, who are just 26-34 this year.
Even worse, Devin Booker (27.5 PPG, 6.8 APG) left last night’s loss late in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. His status for Sunday is questionable.
Joining Booker on the injury report is Eric Gordon (12.5 PPG, 2.2 APG), who is out with a groin injury, Jusuf Nurkic (11.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 3.8 APG), who is a match decision due to neck spasms, and Nassir. Little (3.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG), who is dealing with a knee injury on a daily basis.
The Suns hold on to sixth place in the West, but Sacramento is only a half-game behind while Dallas is one behind and hard-charging Golden State is 2.5 behind.
Despite its precarious position heading into the Play-In Tournament, Phoenix remains fifth in the NBA title odds (+1633) due to the advantage presented by the combination of Booker, Kevin Durant (27.9 PPG, 6, 7 RPG, 5.6 APG) and Bradley Beal (17.8 PPG, 4.4 APG, 4.2 RPG).
OKC vs PHX Player Accessories
| Player | Points | Rebounds | Aids | Three pointers made |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 32.5 (Ov -102 | A -125) | 5.5 (Ov -130 | A +102) | 6.5 (Ov -102 | A -128) | 1.5 (Ov +126 | One -162) |
| Kevin Durant (PHX) | 30.5 (Ov -113 | Oun -113) | 6.5 (Ov -136 | A +106) | 5.5 (Ov -130 | A +102) | 2.5 (Ov +114 | One -146) |
| Bradley Beal (PHX) | 20.5 (Ov -106 | Oun -120) | 3.5 (Ov -158 | A +124) | 4.5 (Ov -128 | Un -100) | 1.5 (Ov -174 | A +136) |
| Jalen Williams (OKC) | 20.5 (Ov -108 | Oun -118) | 4.5 (Ov +118 | Un -150) | 4.5 (Ov -138 | A +108) | 1.5 (Ov -128 | One -100) |
| Chet Holmgren (OKC) | 16.5 (Ov -122 | Oun -104) | 8.5 (Ov -125 | A -102) | 2.5 (Ov -115 | A -111) | 1.5 (Ov -142 | A +112) |
| Josh Giddey (OKC) | 9.5 (Ov -100 | Un -128) | 5.5 (Ov +106 | A -136) | 3.5 (Ov -111 | Oun -115) | 0.5 (Ov -156 | A +122) |
| Luguentz Dort (OKC) | 9.5 (Ov -118 | Oun -108) | 3.5 (Ov -125 | A -102) | DISABLED | 1.5 (Ov -140 | A +110) |
SGA (32.5) and Durant (30.5) both have point totals over 30 tonight while Holmgren has the highest rebound total at 8.5.
Thunder vs Suns Prediction
Fatigue is a big concern for a team like Phoenix late in back-to-back games. Suns stars are logging big minutes and suffering from multiple injuries to rotation players. At the same time, the Suns have proven adept at handling back-to-back games this season. They are 7-3 in the second half of back-to-back games so far, including wins over Miami, Golden State and Chicago.
As talented and balanced as OKC is, that’s too many points to put on the road to a top-six team with Durant and Beal.
OKC vs. PHX Pick: Suns +6.5 (-110)
Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NBA Betting Record:
- 17-21 moneyline (+4.06 units)
- 16-13-2 CEP (+2.68 units)
- Accessories for 7 to 12 players (-6.82 units)
- 0-3 parlay in the same game (-3.00 units)
All bets are one unit unless expressly stated otherwise
