Oklahoma City Thunder vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/29/2022

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, December 29, 2022

Venue:  Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

Where to Watch:  BSSE

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Thunder +1, Hornets -1; Over/Under:  NL points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Thunder +1, Hornets -1; Over/Under:  NL points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Thunder +1.5, Hornets -1.5; Over/Under:  NL points

 

Oklahoma City Thunder:  15-19 (5th place, Northwest Division)

Charlotte Hornets:  9-26 (5th place, Southeast Division)

 

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Oklahoma City Thunder:  4-6 last 10

Charlotte Hornets:  2-8 last 10

 

The Thunder are coming into this game with a 15-19 record overall and they are 5-11 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a win against the San Antonio Spurs in their last game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in points in that game with 28 while Mike Muscala was next on the team with 19 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey each led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Jalen Williams led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 53.5% from the field, 54.2% from 3-point range, and 80.6% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116.8 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 21-13 this season and their O/U record is 20-14.

 

 

 

The Hornets are coming into this game with a 9-26 record overall and they are 4-11 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors in their last game. LaMelo Ball led the team in points in that game with 21 while Terry Rozier was next on the team with 19 points. Mason Plumlee, LaMelo Ball, and Terry Rozier each led the team in assists in that game with 4 while Mason Plumlee led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 41.3% from the field, 26.3% from 3-point range, and 76% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 111.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 118 PPG against them. The Hornets have an ATS record of 15-18-2 this season and their O/U record is 18-17.

The current betting odds have the Hornets listed as a 1 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Thunder have a losing record this year but they have not been nearly as bad as the Hornets have been all year. The Thunder have been improving a lot since last season and they have been playing well in their games lately too, but most of those wins have been coming at home. They have not been a very good team on the road this year and even though the Hornets have one of the worst records in the NBA overall and have even been terrible on their own home court, they just got a key player back in their lineup who has been missing all season and they will start to turn things around a little now that they are getting healthier. Their best chance to win is here at home and as good as the Thunder have been lately, they are still a team below .500 that has not performed well on the road this year. The best way to place a bet here is on the Hornets to cover the spread in this game.

 

Thunder Hornets Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Thursday, December 29, 2022 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Hornets 114 Thunder 111.

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Oklahoma City Thunder: 21-13 ATS in all games. 13-7 ATS after a game where they covered the spread. 8-2 UNDER on the road when the line is +3 to -3. 

Charlotte Hornets: 5-10 ATS in home games. 19-8 UNDER as a home favorite of 6 points or less. 12-6 UNDER off 2 or more consecutive road losses.

 

 

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

Charlotte Hornets:  K. Oubre Jr. (SF) Ques Thurs - Hand. N. Richards (C) Ques Thurs - Ankle. C. Martin (PF) Early Jan - Knee. D. Smith Jr. (PG) Early Jan - Ankle. M. Williams (C) Out indefinitely - Ankle.

 

 

 

“We were good tonight, offensively and defensively. We just try to be the aggressors, play with pace, play together, try to make smart decisions.” - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after their win against the Spurs in their game on Tuesday.

 

 

“They played all zone. It was one of the differences. We scored 28 (third-quarter points) but we couldn’t stop them. They kept running. They ran out of their zone and they changed the game.” - Steve Clifford after his team’s loss against the Trail Blazers in their game on Monday.

 

 

 

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 

SG Josh Giddey

SF Luguentz Dort 

PF Jalen Williams

C Aleksej Pokusevski 

 

PG LaMelo Ball

SG Terry Rozier

SF Gordon Hayward

PF P.J. Washington

C Mason Plumlee

 

 

PPG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (31.5)

APG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (5.8)

Reb/G: J. Giddey (8.1)

 

PPG: L. Ball (23.5)

APG: L. Ball (7.5)

Reb/G: M. Plumlee (9.2)

 

Coaches:

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (3rd season)

Charlotte Hornets: Steve Clifford (1st season)