Phoenix Suns vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 5/2/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Phoenix Suns vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Sunday, May 2, 2021

Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma

The Phoenix Suns (44-18) are headed to Chesapeake Energy Arena on Sunday where they'll meet the Oklahoma City Thunder (21-42).

The Phoenix Suns played the Los Angeles Clippers and notched a win by a score of 109-101 in their last contest. Phoenix wrapped up the game with a 47.3% field goal percentage (43 of 91) and converted 13 of 37 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Suns made 10 of 13 attempts for a rate of 76.9%. Regarding getting rebounds, they collected 45 with 15 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 23 assists for this contest in addition to forcing 14 turnovers and having 9 steals. When it comes to defending, Phoenix allowed 51.3% from the field on 41 of 80 shooting. Los Angeles doled out 24 dimes and had 8 steals in the matchup. Moreover, Los Angeles snagged 36 rebounds (5 offensive, 31 defensive) and got 4 blocks. Los Angeles went 77.8% from the free throw line by making 7 of 9 shots. They also converted 12 of 31 attempts from 3-point land.

Chris Paul is a player who was important for this game. He was able to score 28 points on 10 of 15 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 32:15 mins played and grabbed 3 boards. Paul finished the game at 66.7% from the floor and recorded 10 assists. An additional guy that was a major factor in the game for the Suns was Devin Booker. He collected 6 rebounds in 37:22 min on the court. He finished the game shooting 47.4% from the field in this matchup by connecting on 9-of-19 (21 points). When the final whistle was blown, Booker had 3 assists.

Phoenix comes into this one with a mark of 44-18 on the season. The Suns are connecting on 37.4% on shots from distance (807 of 2,160) and 82.8% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 114.3 pts per contest (10th in basketball) while going 48.8% from the field. They turn the ball over 12.9 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 19.2 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Phoenix is pulling down 43.2 rebounds per game and has accounted for 1,666 dimes on the campaign, which is 6th in the NBA in terms of passing. On defense, the Suns are forcing their opponents into 13.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.9 fouls. They are 2nd in the NBA in allowing assists to the opposition with 1,386 surrendered for the season. The Suns defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 46.2% (847 of 1,112) and they relinquish 42.9 rebounds per contest as a group. They concede 35.2% on three-point shots while they are 6th in the league in points per game allowed (108.3).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a defeat with a final score of 109-95 when they played the New Orleans Pelicans. The Thunder were able to pull down 41 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards for a total of 53 for this game. They gave up possession 22 times, while getting 6 steals for the game. The Pelicans were called for 22 fouls in this contest which got the Thunder to the free throw line for 20 tries. They were able to knock down 16 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 80.0%. In the matter of shooting from beyond the arc, Oklahoma City made 11 out of their 39 tries (28.2%). When the game finished, the Thunder finished the game shooting 34 for 89 from the floor which had them at 38.2%. The Thunder allowed the Pelicans to convert 45 of 101 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 44.6% in the game. They finished shooting 17.2% from three-point range by going 5 of 29 and ended up shooting 14 out of 19 from the free throw line (73.7%). When discussing attacking the glass, Oklahoma City allowed New Orleans to get 56 in all (15 on the offensive side).

Luguentz Dort pitched in for the Thunder for this game. He buried 5 out of 12 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 41.7%, and had 3 rebounds. Dort racked up 17 points in his 33:01 mins of playing time and had 1 assist in this matchup. Another guy that was pivotal for Oklahoma City was Theo Maledon. He left the arena with 4 assists in his 31:51 minutes on the hardwood, and he shot 5 of 12 from the floor. Maledon walked away from this one going 41.7% from the field while collecting 16 points and 1 rebound.

Oklahoma City has a win-loss mark of 21-42 this season. In terms of offensive execution, the Thunder are shooting 44.4% from the field, which ranks them 28th in basketball. Oklahoma City has tallied 6,638 points this year (105.4 per contest) and they collect 45.5 rebounds per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 22.2 times per game (27th in the league) and they turn it over 16.4 times per game. The Thunder have committed 18.3 fouls per game and they hit 73.2% from the charity stripe. The Thunder defensively are ranked 24th in the league in points per game surrendered with 114.7. They have given up 25.4 assists and 47.1 boards per game, ranking them 19th and 27th in the league. The Oklahoma City defense gives up 35.7% from downtown (829 of 2,323) and opponents are connecting on 76.9% of their free throw attempts. They have forced 13.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 46.9% from the floor (18th in the league).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Oklahoma City

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