Oklahoma City Thunder vs New York Knicks Prediction, 1/8/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs New York Knicks

Date: Friday, January 8, 2021

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: MSG

Odds/Point Spread: Oklahoma City (+3.5)

The Oklahoma City Thunder (3-4) are headed to Madison Square Garden on Friday where they'll meet the New York Knicks (5-3). The spread on this game has New York as 3.5-point favorites. The over/under has been set at 209.5.

The Oklahoma City Thunder stepped onto the hardwood against the New Orleans Pelicans and took home the win by a score of 111-110 in their last game. Oklahoma City wrapped up the contest having earned a 46.0% field goal percentage (40 of 87) and made 19 out of their 46 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Thunder converted 12 of their 16 tries for a rate of 75.0%. In relation to pulling down rebounds, they compiled 38 with 4 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 28 dimes for the game in addition to having 10 steals and 5 rejections. When discussing the defense, Oklahoma City allowed the other team to shoot 49.4% from the floor on 44 out of 89 shooting. New Orleans doled out 25 assists and had 11 steals for this contest. Moreover, the Pelicans collected 52 rebounds (9 offensive, 43 defensive) and got 2 blocks. New Orleans walked away from this one shooting 78.3% from the free throw line by burying 18 of their 23 attempts. They also knocked down 4 of 22 shots from long range.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one player who was a contributor for the game. He accumulated 21 points on 7 out of 17 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 36:31 minutes and grabbed 5 boards. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game at 41.2% from the floor and recorded 9 assists. Another guy that was a factor in this game for the Thunder was Darius Bazley. He totaled 12 rebounds and had 3 assists. He finished shooting 40.0% from the field in this matchup by going 8-of-20 (20 points). At the conclusion of this game, Bazley played for 33:58 min.

Oklahoma City comes into this contest with a win-loss mark of 3-4 on the season. They are averaging 102.0 points per outing (30th in the league) while connecting on 43.8% from the field. The Thunder are connecting on 33.0% on three-point attempts (96 of 291) and 69.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Oklahoma City is collecting 43.7 boards per game and has racked up 160 dimes this year, which is 26th in the league in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 16.7 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 17.9 fouls per game. When they are on defense, the Thunder are able to force 13.0 turnovers per game and they draw 19.4 personal fouls. They currently rank 9th in basketball in giving up assists with 180 relinquished for the season. The Thunder defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 47.0% (91 of 136) and they surrender 49.7 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are giving up 34.5% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 14th in the NBA in points per game allowed (110.7).

When they last played, the New York Knicks got the victory with a final of 112-100 against the Utah Jazz. The Knicks earned 36 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 47 for the contest. They rejected 5 attempts while getting 11 steals for the contest. The Jazz committed 15 fouls in the matchup which took the Knicks to the charity stripe for 19 attempts. They were able to convert 14 of the free throws for a rate of 73.7%. In terms of shots from distance, New York made 8 of 22 tries (36.4%). Overall, the Knicks shot 45 for 87 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 51.7%. The Knicks allowed the Jazz to make 40 of their 91 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 44.0% in this game. They shot 31.8% from distance by shooting 14 out of 44 and ended up going 6 of 11 from the charity stripe (54.5%). In the matter of how they rebounded, New York permitted Utah to collect 43 in all (11 on the offensive glass).

Julius Randle was important for the Knicks in the matchup. He converted 10 out of 26 for the matchup giving him a rate of 38.5%, which had him finishing with 30 points. Randle pulled down 16 rebounds in his 39:31 minutes of playing time and had 7 assists for the matchup. Someone else that ended up playing a role for New York was Austin Rivers. He ended up finishing with 23 points in 32:16 mins played by going 9 of 14 shooting in the matchup. Rivers walked away from this one going 64.3% from the floor and also earning 2 assists and 3 boards.

New York has a win-loss record of 5-3 this year. When it comes to offense, the Knicks are shooting 46.4% from the field, which is 13th in the NBA. New York has totaled 835 points so far this year (104.4 per contest) and they snag 46.9 rebounds per game. They are getting an assist 23.3 times per game (21st in the league) and they cough up possession 17.0 times per contest. The Knicks are committing 21.1 fouls per game and they go 75.4% from the charity stripe. The Knicks on the defensive side of the court are 3rd in the league in PPG given up with 104.5. The New York defense concedes 29.8% on shots from distance (93 of 312) and opponents are knocking down 72.6% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 22.6 dimes and 44.0 boards per contest, which is ranked 7th and 11th in basketball. They are forcing their opponents into 13.1 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.4% from the floor (4th in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Oklahoma City (+3.5)

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