What looked to be a promising matchup in the Western Conference a few weeks ago will now be not nearly as exciting when the Oklahoma City Thunder go on the road to take on the Phoenix Suns.
As one of the young and bright, up and coming teams in the league, the Thunder were the apple of the NBA fan’s eye.
Lately though, they have been in a bit of a rough patch and been without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for more than a few games. At the surface level, it may be to tank their draft position, but it is safe to assume he is dealing with injury at the moment.
On the other hand, the Suns have been playing well with the addition of Kevin Durant and he has been an immediate plug-and-play to their lineup.
As such, the new look Suns are favored in this contest on their home floor over the Thunder at -9.5.
The Thunder’s outlook for the rest of the season
Originally looking like one of the teams that may sneak into the postseason, the Thunder are now trending in the opposite direction and need to see what they have in some of their other young stars.
What seems like a routine scenario each season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may not be playing much more for the rest of the year.
As the Thunder welcome Chet Holmgreen to their lineup for the 2023-2024 season, they have some other young talent worth developing in the meantime.
Going on the road to take on this Suns’ team that is fully healthy for one of the first times all season is going to be no easy feat. They will have to pull out all of the stops.
Proving to be a top contender with Kevin Durant in the lineup
To nobody’s surprise, Kevin Durant is good at basketball. He looks sensational on the court since his debut with the Suns and continues to showcase why he is one of the elite players in the world.
His pairing with Devin Booker automatically makes them the fiercest duo that the NBA has to offer, and the Suns should be the overwhelming favorite to win the title.
The rest of the regular season is about establishing their position in the Western Conference playoff picture and developing the chemistry they need for the long haul.
All the players on this team will be hungry to win a title and have been waiting their whole careers for this moment.
Thunder @ Suns Betting Prediction
If the game starts with the expected lineups we have seen recently, the Suns should have no trouble taking care of business on their home court.
The Suns’ lineup is lethal, and Booker and Durant can easily combine for 60+ points on any given night with plenty of support behind them the whole game.
All signs point to the Thunder continuing on a downward slide, and the spread being nearly double-digits is another indicator of that as well. Take the Suns at home at -9.5.
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