The Oklahoma City Thunder have successfully found the winning formula without Chet Holmgren after losing the big man to injury over a month ago, and now they’ll snap a streak of six wins in seven games when they face the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.

We take a look at a worrying development for the away team in our Thunder vs. Pelicans predictions, explain why New Orleans’ frontcourt should be able to pick up the slack after a long season, and highlight two players Those who do should have a chance to shine here.

Let’s take a look at some NBA player props and dish out some NBA tips for Saturday, December 7th.

Thunder vs Pelicans prediction

My best choice
Pelicans +8 (-110 at bet365)

My analysis
The New Orleans Pelicans’ nine-game losing streak finally came to an end on Thursday when they beat the Phoenix Suns at home, and it featured a 38.9% shooting percentage from three and a competitive game in which they lost the battle on the glass by just two boards.

Rebounding has been a problem for New Orleans, which ranks just 23rd in that regard, as has shooting with the third-worst conversion rate from beyond the arc. The Pelicans have chosen to shoot from mid-range more than almost any other team this season, but in any zone it has been a nightmare for this offense.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could provide some relief as they have been sitting at 20th in midfield defense over the last two weeks and have continued to look miserable on the standings. It might also be a trend to believe in, considering the Thunder have produced the second-highest rate of mid-range jumpers in the NBA. Teams found plenty of room to shoot in this area of ​​the court and it was only a matter of time before they started landing those shots with consistency.

I’m also a little interested in the fact that the Pelicans have made an astonishingly low 19% of their shots from mid-range over the last two weeks, ranking first in the NBA considering that has been the preferred spot for scoring Oklahoma City by a fairly large margin in the same period.

The Thunder have also lacked the ability to score at the rim over the past two weeks, and coupled with the rebounding issues, New Orleans should look a little sharper up front after failing to perform all season.

This is a Thunder team that has played a lot of basketball over the last two weeks and will soon get an extra day of rest after this game before heading to Dallas on Tuesday, and with increasing fatigue and slight concerns, I think The Pelicans, that Apparently getting things under control with some promising performances in the last two games, they can keep things pretty close.

Thunder vs. Pelicans, same game play

Pelicans +8

Yves Missi over 8.5 rebounds

Brandon Ingram Over 19.5 points

The Thunder were able to get Isaiah Hartenstein back into the lineup at a critical point in the season a few weeks ago, but over the last 14 days this team is still just 14th in rebounding rate. That’s what stands out to me here as I’m going to support Yves Missi in having another great evening in the glass.

The big man has grabbed 12 rebounds in consecutive games and has reached that mark in four of his last six games. He leads the team with a 16.8% rebound rate over the last two weeks, and most importantly, he’s been getting a lot of yardage lately with 28.6 minutes per game over his last six games.

I expect a big game on the boards like we saw a month ago when he grabbed 10 rebounds in 27 minutes against the Thunder, and Brandon Ingram, who scored 18 points in that matchup, should take another step with the growth move forward The Thunder’s grip is in the middle range.

He was this team’s best option in that area, and after returning Thursday from a five-game absence, he scored 29 points against a Suns team that was similarly generous against jump shooters like Ingram.

Learn how to place a bet in the same game with these helpful tips and strategies.

Thunder vs Pelicans odds

Thunder vs Pelicans live odds

Thunder vs Pelicans opening odds

• Spread: Oklahoma City -8 (-110) | New Orleans +8 (-110)
• Money line: Oklahoma City (-340) | New Orleans (+240)
• Over/Under: Over 224.5 (-115) | Below 224.5 (-105)

Odds courtesy of bet365

Thunder vs. Pelicans spread and over/under analysis

• The Pelicans were bet as 7.5-point underdogs within hours of the line opening, and after the line turned the other way to 8.5 points early Saturday, it settled back down to eight points.
• While the Thunder have 67% of the spread bets, a whopping 80% of the money flows this way.
• The total rose almost immediately to 226 points before falling to 225 within three hours on Friday evening. Betting then went back to 225 before falling again to 222.5 on Saturday afternoon.
• The over accounted for 64% of the tickets, but the under accounted for 57% of the handle.

Thunder vs Pelicans trend.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have only reached the 1H Game Total Over in 35 of their last 78 games. Find more NBA betting trends for Thunder vs. Pelicans.

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