Update: Nurkic is in for the Suns, who remain 2-point favorites against the Thunder Friday. I still like Phoenix as the ATS pick. The total has moved up to 228 and I still like the over.
The Phoenix Suns (43-30) will look to get another important win as they try to climb out of the play-in zone when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder (50-22) Friday evening. The Thunder are coming off a loss in overtime to the Rockets, but are still in the mix for the top seed in the conference. These squads have met twice already this season, with Oklahoma City winning both matchups.
Jusuf Nurkic is listed as questionable for the Suns in this game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is considered doubtful after missing the game against Houston, so he’s in line to sit a second consecutive game with a quad injury.
The Suns are 2-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total sitting at 226.5. Phoenix is -125 on the moneyline while Oklahoma City is +105.
Suns vs. Thunder, 8 p.m. ET
Pick ATS:
The Suns haven’t been great against the number this season but they are 16-19-1 ATS as the road side compared to a 14-22-1 ATS mark at home. The Thunder, on the flip side, have been excellent at home with a 22-14 ATS mark. Oklahoma City is 3-2 ATS as a home underdog and 10-6-1 ATS overall as an underdog. Phoenix is 22-30-2 ATS as a favorite.
Despite the numbers favoring the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander missing this contest changes things for Oklahoma City. The guard has only missed two games this season, and the Thunder have lost both contests. Even though I think the Thunder have the capability to keep pace with the Suns, I’ll take a Phoenix team with its stars on the floor to win this game.
Over/Under: Over 226.5
Phoenix is 32-40-1 to the over on the season while Oklahoma City is 38-31-3. The Suns and Thunder are both 3-3 to the over in the last six games. The first matchup between these teams went under this total, while the more recent contest earlier this month barely went over. Even though Gilgeous-Alexander is out, I do believe there’s enough offense on the floor on both sides to push this total over.