New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/23/2022

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, December 23, 2022

Venue:  Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK 

Where to Watch:  BSOK

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Pelicans +2, Thunder -2; Over/Under:  232 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Pelicans +2, Thunder -2; Over/Under:  232 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Pelicans +2, Thunder -2; Over/Under:  232 points

 

New Orleans Pelicans:  18-12 (2nd place, Southwest Division)

Oklahoma City Thunder:  14-18 (5th place, Northwest Division)

 

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New Orleans Pelicans:  6-4 last 10

Oklahoma City Thunder:  5-5 last 10

 

The Pelicans are coming into this game with an 18-12 record overall and they are 6-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They still have a game against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night that needs to be played first as this is the 2nd leg of a back-to-back for them on Friday. They are entering this game on a 4 game losing streak with losses coming against the Utah Jazz twice in a row, the Phoenix Suns, and the Milwaukee Bucks in their last game. Jonas Valančiūnas led the team in points in that game with 37 while CJ McCollum was next on the team with 31 points. CJ McCollum led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Jonas Valančiūnas led the team in rebounds with 18. They were 42.4% from the field, 40% from 3-point range, and 70.8% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112.5 PPG against them. The Pelicans have an ATS record of 15-15 this season and their O/U record is 17-13.

 

 

 

The Thunder are coming into this game with a 14-18 record overall and they are 9-7 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 3 game winning streak with wins coming against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Portland Trail Blazers in their last 2 games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in points in that game with 27 while Jalen Williams was next on the team with 15 points. Josh Giddey led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Kenrich Williams led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 46.8% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 84% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116.5 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 20-12 this season and their O/U record is 18-14.

The current betting odds have the Thunder listed as a 2 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Thunder haven't been great this season as they are still under .500 but they are already on pace to do a lot better than what they were last season as they have made some big improvements to this team. They have been playing a lot better this year as their young players start to grow and develop, and they have been playing really well in their games lately. They just beat the Grizzlies and the Trail Blazers twice, and they also have a winning record in their home games this season. The Pelicans have been starting to struggle a bit in their games lately and they haven't been great on the road either with a losing record in road games. They are also dealing with some injuries in this game and will be without their star player Zion Williamson. The Thunder have been a tough team to beat at home this season while the Pelicans have been struggling in road games and that is with Zion playing in those. This is going to be a big challenge for the Pelicans here and the Thunder will be able to beat them with how well they have been playing lately. The best way to place a bet here is on the Thunder to cover the spread in this game.

 

Pelicans Thunder Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Friday, December 23, 2022 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Thunder 124 Pelicans 117.

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New Orleans Pelicans: 16-23 ATS against Northwest division opponents. 10-4 OVER in road games. 27-19 OVER when playing 6 or less games in 14 days.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 20-12 ATS in all games. 20-7 ATS after allowing 100 points or less. 36-24 OVER revenging a road loss vs opponent.

 

 

New Orleans Pelicans:  Z. Williamson (PF) Out indefinitely - Illness. B. Ingram (SF) Early Jan - Toe. L. Nance Jr. (SF) Ques Thurs - Achilles. E. Liddell (SF) Out indefinitely - Knee.

Oklahoma City Thunder:  O. Dieng (PF) Late Jan - Wrist. J. Robinson-Earl (PF) Out indefinitely - Ankle. C. Holmgren (C) out for season - Foot.

 

 

 

“The moment we decided to pick it up the fourth quarter, we’re right back in the game. I didn’t think we sustained it for 48 minutes.” - Willie Green after his team’s loss against the Bucks in their game on Monday.

 

 

“I thought the guys really did a nice job of carrying over the lessons from last game. We knew they (Trail Blazers) were going to be better, and I thought they were. And I thought we were better, too.” - Mark Daigneault after his team’s win against the Trail Blazers in their game on Wednesday.

 

 

 

PG CJ McCollum

SG Trey Murphy III

SF Herbert Jones

PF Naji Marshall 

C Jonas Valanciunas

 

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 

SG Josh Giddey

SF Luguentz Dort 

PF Jalen Williams

C Darius Bazley

 

 

PPG: Z. Williamson (25.2)

APG: C. McCollum (5.8)

Reb/G: J. Valanciunas (9.3)

 

PPG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (31.2)

APG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (5.7)

Reb/G: J. Giddey (8)

 

Coaches:

New Orleans Pelicans: Willie Green (2nd season)

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (3rd season)