Philadelphia 76ers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 1/17/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Philadelphia 76ers vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Sunday, January 17, 2021

Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma

Odds/Point Spread: Philadelphia (-4)

Chesapeake Energy Arena is the site where and the Oklahoma City Thunder (6-6) will play the Philadelphia 76ers (9-4) on Sunday. Oklahoma City opens this contest as 4-point dogs. The O/U opens at 217.

The Philadelphia 76ers faced the Miami Heat and went home with a win by a final score of 125-108 in their last game. Philadelphia finished with a 53.7% FG percentage (44 of 82) and knocked down 17 of 37 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the 76ers made 20 of 24 shots for a percentage of 83.3%. In regard to rebounding, they earned 35 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 27 assists in the matchup while getting 15 steals and 3 blocks. With regard to defending, Philadelphia allowed the other team to shoot 49.4% from the floor on 40 of 81 shooting. Miami recorded 28 assists and had 4 steals for the matchup. Moreover, the Heat pulled down 41 rebounds (9 offensive, 32 defensive) and added 2 blocks. Miami shot 61.5% from the free throw line by making 16 of 26 attempts. They also converted 12 of 34 attempts from beyond the perimeter.

Shake Milton is a guy who was important in the matchup. He walked away with 31 points on 11 of 15 shooting. He saw the court for 27:21 minutes played and grabbed 2 boards. Milton walked away from this one shooting 73.3% from the field and also totaled 7 assists. An additional guy that was a major contributor in the game for the 76ers was Tobias Harris. He pulled down 4 rebounds and collected 2 dimes. He finished the game shooting 53.8% from the field in this contest by connecting on 7-of-13 (18 points). When all was said and done, Harris was on the court for 29:48 min.

Philadelphia comes into this contest with a mark of 9-4 on the year. They are averaging 114.3 pts per game (9th in the NBA) while shooting 47.7% from the field. The 76ers are shooting 36.6% on shots from downtown (163 of 445) and 76.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, Philadelphia is snagging 46.8 boards per game and has racked up 337 dimes so far this year, which is 5th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 16.9 times per contest and as a group they are committing 20.3 fouls per contest. Defensively, the 76ers are able to force 15.5 turnovers per game and they draw 20.4 fouls. They are ranked 28th in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 340 relinquished so far this year. The 76ers are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.7% (201 of 265) and they surrender 44.8 boards per game as a group. They give up 36.6% on three-point shots and they rank 15th in the NBA in PPG allowed (110.7).

For their last game, the Oklahoma City Thunder got the victory with a final of 127-125 against the Chicago Bulls. The Thunder pulled down 37 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards for a total of 44 in this contest. They rejected 2 attempts while recording 12 steals in this contest. The Bulls were called for 25 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Thunder to the free throw line for a total of 24 shots. They were able to knock down 16 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 66.7%. With respect to shots from 3-point land, Oklahoma City knocked down 15 of 45 attempts (33.3%). Overall, the Thunder finished 48 out of 105 from the floor which gave them a rate of 45.7%. The Thunder permitted the Bulls to convert 43 of their 91 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 47.3% for this contest. They went 45.7% from three-point range by going 21 out of 46 and finished the contest at 18 out of 25 at the free throw line (72.0%). In relation to cleaning up the glass, Oklahoma City allowed Chicago to get 56 in total (9 offensive).

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was important for the Thunder in this matchup. He knocked down 13 of 19 in this game for a field goal percentage of 68.4%, which earned him 33 points. Gilgeous-Alexander snagged 5 rebounds in his 43:31 minutes of time on the court and had 10 dimes in this matchup. An additional guy who was a determining factor for Oklahoma City was Luguentz Dort. He totaled 21 points in his 39:47 minutes played via 7 of 15 from the floor for this game. Dort walked away from this one going 46.7% from the field in addition to totaling 2 dimes and 8 total rebounds.

Oklahoma City has a record of 6-6 for the year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Thunder are shooting 44.8% from the field, which has them ranked 20th in basketball. Oklahoma City has tallied 1,272 points on the campaign (106.0 per game) and they pull in 45.0 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 22.3 times per contest (27th in basketball) and they are turning it over 14.8 times per contest. The Thunder have committed 19.2 fouls per game while shooting 72.5% from the free throw line. The Thunder are ranked 18th in basketball in PPG allowed with 112.1. They are forcing their opponents into 12.6 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 46.2% from the field (18th in the league). The Oklahoma City defense concedes 35.8% on shots from 3-point land (143 of 399) and opponents are knocking down 72.9% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 25.1 dimes and 49.3 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 20th and 28th in the league.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Philadelphia (-4)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here