Oklahoma City Thunder vs Phoenix Suns Prediction, 12/29/2021 NBA Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Phoenix Suns

Date: Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Location: Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ

TV: Bally Sports OK

The Oklahoma City Thunder (12-20) are headed to Footprint Center on Wednesday where they will take on the Phoenix Suns (26-7).

The Thunder took the court against the Pelicans and walked away with a win by a score of 117-112 in their last game. Oklahoma City ended the game with a 47.7% field goal percentage (41 of 86) and converted 13 of 36 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Thunder made 22 of their 31 shots for a rate of 71.0%. When discussing hauling in rebounds, they collected 47 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 24 assists in this game in addition to forcing 4 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In regard to the defense, Oklahoma City allowed the other team to shoot 41.5% from the floor on 39 out of 94 shooting. New Orleans recorded 49 assists and had 26 steals in the game. In addition, New Orleans pulled down 38 rebounds (11 offensive, 27 defensive) and added 5 blocks. New Orleans finished 85.7% at the free throw line by knocking down 24 of 28 shots. They made 10 of 41 shots from beyond the arc. With respect to fouls, the Thunder walked away with 23 and the Pelicans finished the game with 10 fouls.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a guy who came through in this matchup. He ended up walking away with 31 points on 11 out of 20 shooting. He played 35 mins and grabbed 4 boards. Gilgeous-Alexander walked away from this one shooting 55.0% from the field and dished out 5 assists.

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Oklahoma City heads into this game with a win-loss record of 12-20 so far this year. They turn it over 13.8 times per game and as a group they commit 17.7 fouls every game. As a team, Oklahoma City is pulling down 46.3 boards per game and has 656 dimes on the season, which is 29th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Thunder are shooting 30.9% from downtown (370 of 1,199) and 74.8% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 100.1 pts per game (30th in basketball) while connecting on 41.5% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Thunder have forced 13.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.8 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 16th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 792 relinquished so far this year. The Thunder are allowing a field goal percentage of 44.4% (1,275 of 2,871) and they relinquish 48.1 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are giving up 36.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 17th in the NBA in opponents points per game (107.7).

For their last game, the Suns took a defeat with a final score of 114-113 when they played the Grizzlies. The Suns snagged 25 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 35 for this game. They turned the ball over 11 times, while getting 11 steals in this game. The Grizzlies were called for 18 personal fouls for this contest which took the Suns to the charity stripe for 23 tries. They were able to knock down 20 of those for a percentage of 87.0%. In reference to shooting from distance, Phoenix made 11 of 31 tries (35.5%). Overall, the Suns finished the game shooting 41 for 90 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.6%. The Suns permitted the Grizzlies to bury 45 of their 88 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 51.1% for the contest. They finished 37.9% from 3-point land by shooting 11 of 29 and finished the contest at 13 of 17 from the charity stripe (76.5%). In regard to cleaning the glass, Phoenix allowed Memphis to collect 35 in total (15 offensive).

Devin Booker was important for the Suns in this game. He buried 10 out of 20 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and had 2 rebounds. Booker scored 30 points in his 37 minutes on the court and earned 4 assists for this contest.

Phoenix has a record of 26-7 for the year. The Suns are committing 19.3 fouls per contest and they go 79.7% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 26.2 times per game (4th in the NBA) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.9 times per contest. Phoenix has totaled 3,687 points so far this year (111.7 per contest) and they grab 45.6 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Suns are hitting on 47.7% from the field, which ranks them 1st in the league.

The Suns are ranked 4th in the league in points per game surrendered with 104.7. They are forcing 15.4 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 43.7% from the floor (3rd in the NBA). The Phoenix defense allows 33.3% on shots from 3-point land (378 of 1,134) and their opponents are converting on 74.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 22.3 assists and 45.7 rebounds per contest, which ranks 6th and 19th in basketball.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Oklahoma City

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