Game Time: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 24th, 2022 

Venue: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Where to Watch:  NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread:  Suns -10.5

BetMGM:  Spread:  Suns -10.5

VegasInsider:  Spread:  Suns -10.5; O;U 

WynnBet: Spread:  Suns -10.5

Suns: 48-10, 1st place Western Conference and the league

Thunder: 18-40, 14th place Western Conference

A Western Conference matchup in the topsy turvy world of post all-star break.  The Phoenix Suns have beaten the OKC Thunder in the last 4 head to head matchups dating back to last season.  The Suns are a great team and firmly in 1`st place in both the Western Conference standings and overall in the league.  So it is odd that the Suns enter the two-month sprint to the end of the season on very thin ice.  In the last game before the break all-star PG and NBA legend broke his thumb… there is a medical term for it, but that is the short of it.  He will miss 6-8 weeks.  Considering Chris Paul is the team’s floor general and possibly the most effective point guard in the league, it doesn't bode well for the Suns' 1st place finish.  The Good News is that all the Suns have to do is go .500 during these last 7 weeks and they will not fall farther than 2nd place… That is what a big lead buys you in terms of insurance.  It also could be a bonus in disguise… the rest of the Suns roster is really great and they will get CP3 back for the playoffs… You could do worse than have your backup guards battle tested and confident as you go into the playoffs.   The Oklahoma City Thunder on the other hand are a disaster of a team.  They have been built to lose games while developing young players… the front office in OKC clearly wants to lose until they have a coin flip shot at the 1st pick in the draft.  If you have been watching the Thunder closely you will know that the Thunder will not be a bad team for long.  The young players they are developing are GOOD.  The best of the bunch is rookie SG/SF Josh Giddey who also has the ability to play as the point guard.  Josh has grown month after month the entire season.  He regularly pulled down triple doubles just before the all-star break.  His production and positive usage rate is astonishing when you consider he really is a baby-faced teenage international rookie!  Josh Giddey will be on par with Luka Doncic or Ja Morant very soon.  His presence also means the Thunder can squeak out a win against any team that isn’t focused or ready to take them seriously.

The Phoenix Suns have won 9 of their last ten  games.  They are currently on a 7 game winning streak.  They are 5-5 ATS during the last ten games.  With Chris Paul out, leadership of the team falls to all-star SG and leading scorer Devin Booker.  At 25.5 ppg Devin is up for the challenge.  There will also be a heavy rotation of backup point guards Cameron Payne, Elfrid Payton, and Aaron Holiday.  None of those guys can run the pick and roll with Dendre Ayton the way Chris Paul can… but they can be serviceable enough to get wins on this stacked roster.  Look for an end of season emergence of backup power forward Cameron Johnson, Cam is a pure shooter and will be highlighted… His rookie contract is in its third year, meaning the Suns will have to decide his future by this off-season. Other teams will want him very much… enough to force the Suns to decide between matching a restricted free agent offer or trading him outright for a big return on investment.  

The Oklahoma City Thunder have won only 4 of their last ten games.  They have gone a fantastic 6-2-2 ATS.  They play tough until the final whistle, they just don’t have the roster to make the wins happen.  SG Josh Giddey will change all that, he leads the team in assists and rebounds and his resting averages of 12.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg, and 6.4 apg have been rising month after month after month as the season has gone on.  In fact of you cut off the first 3 months of his TEENAGE rookie year… he is just 1 apg and 1 rpg away from AVERAGING a triple double.  LeBron was caught complimenting Sam Presti at the all-star break and said “drafted Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, and Giddey”... Players that know already know that Giddey is the real deal. The team also has young SF Darius Bazley and young 7’0 power forward Aleksej Pokusevski… and got their hands on 6’5 rookie point guard Tre Mann.   The Thunder are high on a lot of guys!  The youth and the deep injury list will simply not allow them to win games.  Starting point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is out until early March along with Mr Happy Hustle Lugentz Dort… Both of whom should be the centerpieces of a big trade come this offseason… If this roster could unload Alexander, Dort, and a veteran piece like Derrick Favors or Mike Muscala with a couple picks they could land an all-star from somewhere else… They could then build a solid young roster headlining Giddey plus a proven winner.  Not to mention the OKC Thunder have more upcoming picks over the next 5 drafts than they have roster spots.  The future is bright in OKC, just not in the rest of this season. 

Will Rogers stormed into the All-Star Break riding an incredible 31-12 hot streak in the NBA! Now the games are set to resume Thursday and he's busting loose with his *TOP* play for February. Is there any doubt that you NEED this play? Get Will Rogers' picks…. You can discover the best  picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB, college football… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

The Suns are 48=10 on the season, but 32-26 ATS.  They have logged 28 Overs, 29 Unders, and 1 Push. They are a fantastic 22-5 in road games.

The Thunder are 18-40 on the season, but 35-19-4 ATS.  They have notched 24 Overs, 33 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are a dismal 9-19 in home games.

The Suns are 4th in scoring at 113.7 ppg, 4th in rebounds with 46.2 per game, and 2nd in AST/To ratio with 2.1.  They are great shooters at 2nd in FG%, 8th in 3PT%, and 8th in FT%. On defense they kill it as well where they are ranked 6th while allowing 105.5 ppg.

The Thunder are 30th in scoring with 101.2 ppg, 5th in rebounds with 46.1 per game, and 25th in AST/TO with 1.6.  They shoot the ball terribly at 30th in FG%, and 30th in 3PT%... the awful FT% is 20th… you can’t be below average in free throws if you aren’t good at the other stuff.  On defense they rank 13th which is not bad while allowing 107.8 ppg. 

Our prediction for Thursday, February 24th is….  Suns 108 - Thunder 101

This is a bet on the Thunder. You should not expect the Suns to be the same team while playing the first game without Chris Paul.  Also the Thunder are 6-2-2 ATS and you have to respect that especially since Giddeey is showing you a leap in production… The Thunder will not win, but it is better to have the points (especially 10.5) in your pocket while the game is underway!

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Phoenix is 39 Over and 21 Under versus poor defensive teams the last 2 seasons

OKC is 14-6 ATS as an underdog of 10 or more points this season.

OKC is 36-18 ATS as an underdog this season.

OKC is 118-87 ATS avenging a loss since 1996.

Suns: Chris Paul (thunb) Out ** SF Dario Saric (knee) has missed all season ** Frank Kamisky (knee) Out ** Landry Shamet (ankle) Prob ** Cameron Payne (wrist) Prob

Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle) Out ** PF Mike Muscala (ankle) Out ** Luguentz Dort (shoulder) Quest **  

Suns: SF Mikal Bridges, PF Jae Crowder, C Deandre Ayton, SG Devin Booker, PG Elfrid Payton 

Thunder: SF Darius Bazley, PF Aaron Wiggins, C Isaiah Roby, SG Josh Giddey, PG Tre Mann

Suns

Points: Devin Booker 25.5

Assists: Chris Paul 10.7

Rebounds: Deandre Ayton 10.3

Steals: Chris Paul 1.9

Blocks: JaVale McGee 1.0

Thunder

Points: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 22.7

Assists: Josh Giddey 6.4

Rebounds: Josh Giddey 7.8

Steals: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 1.1

Blocks: Darius Bazley 1.1

Suns: Monty Williams

Thunder: Mark Daigneault