Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans Preview
Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
When: Wednesday, December 21, 2016, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma City Thunder (-2) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (+2); total: 209.5 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: FSOK / FSNO
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Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder (-2)
A 46-point, 11-rebound, 7-assist performance courtesy of Russell Westbrook wasn’t enough to give OKC the win against the visiting Hawks on Monday night.
That was the Thunder’s fourth loss in six games (1-5 ATS), and it’s obvious that Victor Oladipo (wrist) has been dearly missed. Without him, the offense has faltered, averaging below 100 points in the team’s previous four contests.
Westbrook’s also been forced to carry a heavier load on offense, something that can be attested by his 33 shot attempts in the loss to Atlanta. The Thunder don’t really have any other legitimate scoring threat besides him and Oladipo, thus expect Westbrook to try to single-handedly lead his squad to a win at New Orleans tonight.
He went for 28 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists to give his squad a 101-92 victory in the first meeting with the Pelicans earlier this month. But a greater night from Westbrook will likely be needed this time around, unless somebody else steps up for OKC.
Betting on the New Orleans Pelicans (+2)
This is a revenge game for New Orleans, which hopes to even things up at one win apiece in its regular-season series with the Thunder.
Anthony Davis put on an MVP-type effort despite losing in the first meeting at Oklahoma City, finishing with 37 points and 15 rebounds while also flexing his muscle at the defensive end with two steals and four rejections.
Yes, Davis is doing almost everything for New Orleans this season, leading them in points (31.7), rebounds (10.9), steals (1.5) and blocks (2.8) this season, However, big nights from Davis haven’t always equated to wins for the Pelicans, who have won only thrice through 11 games (4-7 ATS) in December.
Their overall defense has been simply awful, allowing 107.3 points per game this season. It was nice to see New Orleans giving up just 93 points in Tuesday night’s win at Philadelphia, though. Davis had 31 points and 16 boards in that game—his 16th double-double of the year.
Writer’s Prediction
New Orleans (+2) wins it, 105-99.
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