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The Oklahoma City Thunder began the season slower than expected but is hoping to finish a recent hot streak through the All-Star break. Oklahoma City has won five straight games to move up into the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference playoff race. The Thunder has an important, nationally televised contest next time out when it hosts the Washington Wizards.
Washington is in the middle of the pack in the East so this could be a nice win for either side. Oklahoma City has the home court advantage, which should be enough to make it the favorite in this contest. Even so, this game seems like it should be a close one.
Check out the spread when it is released as this contest figures to come down to the final minute.
This war on the floor will go down Thursday, January 25, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Thursday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Wizards are 26-21 straight up but have only covered in 20 of their 27 games. Washington has done much better against the spread on the road than at home, covering in 12 of 23 attempts. The Wizards are an impressive 11-4 as the underdog on the season and will aim to keep that up.
The Thunder is 27-20 straight up and 19-28 against the spread. Oklahoma City has covered in 10 of 23 tries at home. The Thunder is only 15-27 against the spread as the favorite on the year.
Key Stat
5. That’s how many wins in a row Oklahoma City has registered coming into this contest. The Thunder lost three straight prior to this current streak, but will have a lot of momentum coming into this one.
The Thunder picked up its most recent win on Thursday, defeating the Nets 109-108 at home. Oklahoma City also put up 148 points in a win against the Cavaliers on Saturday.
The win against Cleveland was led by Paul George, who had 36 points, and Russell Westbrook, who finished with 23 points, 20 assists and nine rebounds. Oklahoma City has averaged 113.4 points per game over its last five wins and will look to keep the winning ways going against the Wizards.
Matchup to Watch
Russell Westbrook vs John Wall. Two of the best point guards in the NBA will face off in Thursday’s matchup.
Westbrook, the league’s reigning MVP, is averaging a near triple-double this season with 24.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 10.1 assists. Wall is putting up 19.3 points a game and averaging 9.2 assists.
While there are a lot of stars on the court, the point guard that wins this matchup will give his team a clear leg up. Both guards enjoy the spotlight, but have to make sure not to try to do too much.
They can both get into trouble if they start forcing shots and need to be willing to dish if the defense collapses on them. It is a fine balance for both Westbrook and Wall, but they have each shown throughout their careers that they are more than up to the task.
Free NBA ATS Picks
These teams have plenty of star power and are pretty evenly matched, but the Thunder is playing at a high level and gets the home court advantage. That is enough to tip the scales in its direction.
Take Oklahoma City to win this game, but watch for the spread. The Wizards could very well keep the game close and cover the spread if it ends up being too large. Consider the “under” as this one may be lower-scoring than expected.
NBA Odds: Thunder 105, Wizards 102
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