Washington Wizards vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 12/23/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Washington Wizards vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Monday, December 23, 2024

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Paycom Center is where the Oklahoma City Thunder (21-5) will meet the Washington Wizards (4-21) on Monday.

The Wizards faced the Hornets and walked away with a win by a score of 123-114 in their last game. Washington finished the game having earned a 49.4% FG percentage (41 of 83) and made 17 out of their 42 three-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Wizards made 24 of their 31 attempts for a rate of 77.4%. With respect to getting rebounds, they earned a total of 52 with 12 of them being offensive. They also distributed 33 assists for this contest as well as forcing 8 turnovers and earning 5 steals. Concerning defending, Washington allowed 40.6% from the field on 43 of 106 shooting. Charlotte recorded 30 dimes and had 12 steals for this game. In addition, Charlotte had 52 boards (22 offensive, 30 defensive) and earned 8 blocks. Charlotte shot 74.1% from the free throw line by burying 20 of 27 shots. They also converted 8 out of their 43 tries from distance. In reference to fouls, the Wizards ended up walking away with 18 while the Hornets accounted for 21 fouls.

Jordan Poole is a guy who played a role for the matchup. He ended up finishing with 27 points on 7 out of 15 shooting. He played 34 mins and grabbed 3 rebounds. Poole ended up going 46.7% from the field and totaled 4 assists.

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Washington enters this matchup with a mark of 4-21 on the year. They have an average of 107.8 points per game (25th in basketball) while going 44.1% from the field. The Wizards are shooting 31.8% on 3-point shots (290 of 911) and 77.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Washington is grabbing 43.6 boards per contest and has tallied 615 dimes on the campaign, which has them ranked 26th in the NBA in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 16.3 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 22.1 fouls every game.

On defense, the Wizards are forcing 13.6 turnovers per game while drawing 18.8 fouls. They are 17th in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 703 surrendered so far this year. The Wizards defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 47.6% (1,097 of 2,305) and they concede 48.6 boards per contest as a basketball team. They relinquish 36.3% on shots from distance while they are 30th in basketball in PPG from their opponents (122.6).

When they last stepped on the court, the Thunder walked away with a victory by a final of 105-99 against the Magic. When discussing attacking the glass, Oklahoma City permitted Orlando to collect 40 overall (10 offensive). They shot 31.4% from 3-point land by going 11 of 35 and finished the game at 18 of 25 at the free throw line (72.0%). The Thunder permitted the Magic to make 35 out of their 78 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 44.9% in this matchup. When the game finished, the Thunder finished the game shooting 40 for 83 from the floor which gave them a rate of 48.2%. With respect to 3-point shots, Oklahoma City made 10 of 31 tries (32.3%). They were able to knock down 15 of the free throws for a percentage of 93.8%. The Magic had 16 fouls for the game which took the Thunder to the charity stripe for 16 attempts. They coughed up the ball 13 times, while getting 15 steals for the game. The Thunder were able to corral 28 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards totaling 32 for this contest.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was important for the Thunder in this matchup. Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 35 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 6 assists for the matchup. He converted 15 out of 26 for this contest for a field goal rate of 57.7%, and had 4 rebounds.

Oklahoma City has a win-loss record of 21-5 this year. The Thunder are responsible for committing 21.0 fouls every game and they go 81.4% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 25.6 times per game (19th in the NBA) and they are turning it over 11.8 times per game. Oklahoma City has earned 2,995 points for the season (115.2 per contest) and they collect 43.3 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Thunder are shooting 46.5% from the field, which ranks them 13th in the NBA.

The Thunder are ranked 1st in the NBA in points allowed per game with 103.3. They are forcing their opponents into 19.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 42.5% from the floor (1st in the NBA). The Oklahoma City defense concedes 33.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter (326 of 986) and opponents are connecting on 73.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 24.0 dimes and 47.7 boards every game, which is 3rd and 29th in the league.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Oklahoma City

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