There are many interesting games this evening in the NBA and one of the more exciting ones is a duel between Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors, two of the top three teams in the West at the moment. The game is scheduled for Monday, 00:00 AM BST.
For this article, I've selected a few of my top OKC Thunder vs Golden State Warriors predictions and I've prepared Thunder vs Warriors preview, including team form, injuries and other news, as well as the latest Thunder vs Warriors odds.
So, let's take a closer look at this game and what we can expect from it.
Thunder vs Warriors predictions
Handicap
OKC Thunder to win (-6.5)
9/10
Total points
Over 227.5
9/10
To score 20+ points
Chet Holmgren
6/4
All odds for my Thunder vs Warriors picks were taken from Paddy Power and are subject to change at any time.
OKC Thunder to win with handicap (-6.5)
While the Warriors have played good basketball to start the season and they have only lost twice so far, while winning seven games, their second loss came in their last duel against the Cavaliers and it was a pretty rough loss. Although the game ended with Cleveland winning by 19 points, the Warriors were down by 40 at one point of the game.
Meanwhile, the Thunder have been impressive this season and enter this game with an 8-1 record, while they've so far been perfect at home. OKC are arguably the best team in the West and I expect them to show it tonight and beat Golden State by seven or more points, which is the first of my Thunder vs Warriors tips.
Over 227.5 total points
Even though these two teams are among the best in the league when it comes to defence, at least this early in the season, they are also scoring a lot of points as well. The Warriors have averaged 120.7 points per game and the Thunder have scored 115.7 points per game so far, so they are both pretty potent offensively.
On top of that, the last eight meetings between the Thunder and the Warriors have all gone over 227.5 total points, which is why I expect to see another high-scoring game between them tonight, which is my second Thunder vs Warriors prediction.
Chet Holmgren to score 20+ points
The final of my Thunder vs Warriors tips is for Chet Holmgren to score at least 20 points. The young centre has reached this mark in four of nine games he played so far and he's averaging 18.2 points per game.
However, Holmgren should have more opportunities to score in this game since the Warriors are not that good defensively under the basket and often play small ball, which should suit Holmgren and allow him to score more efficiently than usually.
Thunder vs Warriors preview – teams news, injuries, and predicted lineups
After they lost for the first time this season to the Nuggets in a very close and exciting game, the Thunder immediately got back to winning as they easily dispatched of Houston Rockets at home a couple of nights ago, putting them on par with the Suns at the top of the Western Conference.
Oklahoma City remain without a few injured players, including Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, Nikola Topic, and Kenrich Williams.
The Thunder enter this match with an 8-1 record.
Thunder starting lineup: Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace, Dort, Williams, Holmgren
The good performances from the Warriors at the start of this season have surprised many, but this is a deep team with plenty talented youngsters, led by champions like Curry and Green. However, GSW completely fell apart in their last game in Cleveland, so it remains to be seen how this young team will react to adversity as they prepare to take on one of the best teams in the league tonight.
When it comes to team news, the Warriors have a clean bill of health heading into this game.
The Warriors enter this match with a 7-2 record.
Warriors starting lineup: Curry, Moody, Wiggins, Green, Jackson-Davis
An avid sports fan and bettor, with a soft spot for basketball, tennis, and football. New to the MFT's unique community and very glad to be here.
