Charlotte Hornets vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, Preview and Odds - 03/28/2023

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Venue:  Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK

Where to Watch:  BSOK

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Hornets +9, Thunder -9; Over/Under:  230 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Hornets +9, Thunder -9; Over/Under:  230 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Hornets +9, Thunder -9; Over/Under:  229.5 points

Charlotte Hornets:  25-51 (5th place, Southeast Division)

Oklahoma City Thunder:  37-38 (3rd place, Northwest Division)

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Charlotte Hornets:  5-5 last 10

Oklahoma City Thunder:  6-4 last 10

The Hornets are coming into this game with a 25-51 record overall and they are 12-27 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with wins coming against the Dallas Mavericks in their last 2 games. Gordon Hayward led the team in points in that game with 22 while PJ Washington was next on the team with 21 points. Dennis Smith Jr. led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Mark Williams led the team in rebounds with 16. They were 44.3% from the field, 41.4% from 3-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 111.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 117.1 PPG against them. The Hornets have an ATS record of 34-40-2 this season and their O/U record is 32-44.

The Thunder are coming into this game with a 37-38 record overall and they are 22-15 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a win against the Portland Trail Blazers in their last game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in points in that game with 31 while Jalen Williams was next on the team with 23 points. Josh Giddey led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Josh Giddey led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 43.6% from the field, 34.3% from 3-point range, and 85.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116.2 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 43-29-3 this season and their O/U record is 43-32.

The current betting odds have the Thunder listed as a 9 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Thunder haven't been great this season with their losing 37-38 record overall but considering where they were in the standings last season, they have improved a lot as a team since then. They have also been a really good home team with their 22-15 home record and they just pulled off a tough road win in Portland as they look to fight for a play-in spot this season. The Thunder are holding down the last play-in spot in the West right now so they are going to be clamping down in these final games and making a big push to take advantage of any wins they can get. The Hornets have been terrible all season with their 25-51 record overall making them one of the worst teams in the East and the entire NBA. They have also been terrible in their road games with a 12-27 road record but just managed to win their last 2 games against the Mavericks. They haven't been the kind of team to string many wins together this season though so their 2 game win streak here has already gone far enough for them. The Thunder actually have something to play for and they will show the Hornets why they are a playoff team and not one of the worst in the NBA anymore. The best way to place a bet here is on the Thunder to cover the spread in this game. 

Hornets Thunder Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Tuesday, March 28, 2023 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Thunder 116 Hornets 97.

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Charlotte Hornets: 14-25 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 8-15 ATS after 4 or more consecutive unders. 16-8 OVER as a road underdog of 6.5 to 12 points.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 23-14 ATS in home games. 33-18 ATS after 2 or more consecutive unders. 23-12 OVER in home games.

Charlotte Hornets:  K. Oubre Jr. (SF) Ques Tues - Shoulder. T. Rozier (PG) Ques Tues - Foot. C. Martin (PF) Early April - Knee. L. Ball (PG) out for season - Ankle.

Oklahoma City Thunder:  L. Waters III (SF) Ques Tues - Foot. A. Pokusevski (PF) Early April - Knee. K. Williams (SG) out for season - Wrist. C. Holmgren (C) out for season - Foot.

“The biggest part of the game again was the first quarter. Playing from ahead is a big deal. Every year the numbers bear it out, people want to say, ‘All you have to do is watch the fourth quarter,’ but they have no idea what they’re talking about. It’s anything but that.” - Steve Clifford after his team’s win against the Mavericks in their game on Sunday. 

“It wasn’t a pretty game. It wasn’t our best game by any stretch. But given the circumstances, it required a level of resilience and toughness out of our team to win the game and I thought we had that.” - Mark Daigneault after his team’s win against the Trail Blazers in their game on Sunday.

PG Terry Rozier

SG Kelly Oubre Jr.

SF Gordon Hayward 

PF P.J. Washington

C Mark Williams

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG Josh Giddey

SF Luguentz Dort 

PF Jalen Williams

C Jaylin Williams

PPG: L. Ball (23.3)

APG: L. Ball (8.4)

Reb/G: M. Williams (6.7)

PPG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (31.3)

APG: J. Giddey (6.1)

Reb/G: J. Giddey (7.9)

Coaches:

Charlotte Hornets: Steve Clifford (1st season)

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (3rd season)