Oklahoma City Thunder vs Phoenix Suns Prediction, 12/23/2021 NBA Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Phoenix Suns

Date: Thursday, December 23, 2021

Location: Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ

TV: Bally Sports OK

The Phoenix Suns (25-5) are welcoming the Oklahoma City Thunder (10-19) at Footprint Center on Thursday.

The Thunder stepped onto the hardwood against the Grizzlies and walked away with a win by a score of 102-99 in their last contest. Oklahoma City finished the contest with a 42.9% FG percentage (36 of 84) and converted 11 of their 38 three-point attempts. When they shot from the free throw line, the Thunder buried 19 of their 28 tries for a rate of 67.9%. Regarding hauling in boards, they compiled 47 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 24 dimes for the matchup in addition to forcing 2 turnovers and earning 7 steals. Pertaining to the defense, Oklahoma City allowed the other team to shoot 38.6% from the field on 39 of 101 shooting. Memphis doled out 51 dimes and had 24 steals in this game. Moreover, Memphis totaled 34 rebounds (17 offensive, 17 defensive) and had 7 blocked shots. Memphis ended up going 76.9% from the free throw line by knocking down 10 of their 13 attempts. They made 11 out of their 32 attempts from downtown. Concerning fouls, the Thunder ended up with 17 and the Grizzlies finished the game with 12 fouls.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a player who played a role in this contest. He walked away with 23 points on 8 of 19 shooting. He saw the court for 37 minutes and also totaled 5 rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game shooting 42.1% from the field and also dished out 4 assists.

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Oklahoma City will play this game with a mark of 10-19 so far this season. They average 99.2 pts per game (30th in the NBA) while going 41.3% from the field. The Thunder are connecting on 31.1% on three-point shots (338 of 1,088) and 74.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, Oklahoma City is snagging 45.8 boards per contest and has accounted for 593 assists this year, which is 30th in the league in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 13.9 times per game and as a group are committing 17.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on the defensive end, the Thunder have forced 13.2 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.6 personal fouls. They rank 12th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 719 surrendered for the season. The Thunder defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 44.5% (1,158 of 2,600) and they concede 48.2 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They surrender 36.6% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 17th in basketball in points per game allowed (107.8).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Suns went home victorious with a score of 108-90 when they played the Lakers. The Suns pulled down 45 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 53 for this game. They turned the ball over 16 times, while recording 11 steals for this contest. The Lakers committed 14 fouls in the game which took the Suns to the charity stripe for 15 attempts. They were able to convert 14 of the free throws for a rate of 93.3%. Concerning shooting from downtown, Phoenix converted 12 out of 41 tries (29.3%). Overall, the Suns finished 41 out of 93 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.1%. The Suns allowed the Lakers to bury 34 out of their 87 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 39.1% for this contest. They went 20.0% from beyond the arc by going 7 out of 35 and finished the game at 15 of 23 from the free throw line (65.2%). With respect to attacking the glass, Phoenix allowed Los Angeles to get 41 in total (6 on the offensive glass).

Deandre Ayton was important for the Suns in this contest. He made 9 of 11 in the game for a field goal percentage of 81.8%, and had 11 rebounds. Ayton accumulated 19 points in his 27 mins on the court and had 2 dimes for the matchup.

Phoenix has a mark of 25-5 for the year. As an offensive team, the Suns are hitting on 47.7% from the floor, which ranks 1st in the NBA. Phoenix has totaled 3,354 points on the campaign (111.8 per contest) and they snag 46.0 boards per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 26.4 times per game (4th in the NBA) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.0 times per game. The Suns commit 19.4 personal fouls per game and they shoot 79.2% from the free throw line.

The Phoenix defense gives up 33.3% on shots from distance (342 of 1,027) and their opposition makes 73.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 22.3 assists and 45.8 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 6th and 20th in basketball. The Suns defensively are ranked 4th in basketball in points given up per game with 104.1. They are able to force 15.5 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 43.4% from the floor (3rd in the league).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Phoenix

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