Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets Odds, Analysis, NBA Betting Pick
The Oklahoma City Thunder (30-21) are hoping to get back on track when they visit the Denver Nuggets (26-25) Thursday night after seeing their eight-game winning streak snapped Tuesday.
The Thunder are coming off a 102-96 road loss to the Washington Wizards as 3.5-point favorites, but they have still covered the spread in six of their past nine games.
Point spread: The Thunder opened as one-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. Line updates and matchup report.
NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 113.0-108.3, Thunder. NBA picks on every game.
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Why the Thunder Can Cover the Spread
Oklahoma City went 6-2 ATS during its winning streak, with the team beating opponents by an average of more than 12 points.
In the loss at Washington, the Thunder failed to score 100 points for the first time in seven games, as Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony managed to make just 12 of 39 shots from the field (30.8 percent) between them and combine for 32 points. They have won 10 of the past 12 meetings with the Nuggets, according to the OddsShark NBA Database, so they should bounce back.
Why the Nuggets Can Cover the Spread
While Denver is just 2-10 straight up in its past dozen games against Oklahoma City, the team has picked up both wins over the past year and covered three straight in the series.
The Nuggets will be looking to end a two-game skid here. Those matchups, versus the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs, were decided by a combined three points. Prior to the losing streak, Denver had won three games in a row, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks by an average of almost six points.
Smart Betting Pick
The Nuggets have been terrible covering the spread lately, going 2-6-1 in their past nine at online gambling sites. But they have played to the level of their competition, with four of their previous five games decided by a maximum of three points.
The Thunder had also struggled prior to their winning streak, dropping five of seven both SU and ATS. Which Oklahoma City team shows up may determine who covers in this spot, but expect Denver to play harder and be extra motivated to beat the number for the fourth consecutive time in this series.
NBA Betting Trends
Oklahoma City is 5-2 ATS in its past seven games.
The total has gone over in five of Oklahoma City's past six games.
Denver is 2-6-1 ATS in its past nine games.
All NBA odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis or download the free odds tracker app.
