Will the champions’ mega streak come to an end?
The hosts are nervous about OKC’s visit: Not only are the visitors the champions and have the best record this season, they are also a formidable opponent for the Phoenix Suns.
For almost three years and eight games, they have always come up short against the basketball hunters from the “Sooner State.” Read our preview of the game at the PHX Arena to find out whether the Phoenix Suns’ tip against Oklahoma City Thunder could spell the end of this dry spell for the Pacific Division team.
The timing of the match certainly plays into the hands of the home team: OKC may be traveling as the top team in the NBA, as described, but their form has recently declined on the road. Oklahoma suffered two of their three away defeats this season in their last three away games.
In addition, OKC was knocked out of the NBA Cup in the semifinals. Their previous dominance has thus diminished somewhat. In view of this, a home win or a defeat for the hosts by a maximum of nine points is a worthwhile recommendation for the match between the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder.
We also expect Chet Holmgren to score more than 17.5 points for the visitors. The center traditionally plays very strongly against the Suns. In the two games against Phoenix this season, the “big man” averaged 23.5 points, and in the previous season, Holmgren scored an impressive 22 points in his only game against the Valley basketball team!
Phoenix Suns – Oklahoma City Thunder Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
As mentioned at the beginning, the visitors have not been a good match for the Arizona franchise for quite some time. Since a victory in April 2023, the Suns have lost eight times to OKC. At least the Suns’ home record against the reigning champions is not quite as disastrous.
Although the last three home games against the champions also ended in defeat, the three-time NBA runners-up had previously achieved five home wins. For the upcoming game between the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder, however, the odds are already pointing toward a fourth consecutive away win for the City Thunder.
Phoenix Suns – Oklahoma City Thunder Tip
Coach Jordan Ott’s home team was humiliated in December last year in their last matchup against OKC. In the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, the champions prevailed by no less than 49 points!
At the same time, Oklahoma equaled the Golden State Warriors’ NBA record start from the 2015/16 season with their 24th win in 25 games this season and set a new franchise record with their 16th consecutive victory. It was hard to imagine a more superlative start to the season, but as is so often the case in sport, the situation has now changed in a very short space of time.
The home team was without its top guard Devin Booker, who is now recovered from injury, and the visitors are not in quite as good form as they were then. Therefore, we do not anticipate another blowout in favor of the City Thunder.
Another factor against this is that OKC now has to play away against the three-time NBA runners-up, and the champions have lost two of their last three away games. On top of that, the hosts are strong at home with a win rate of just under 69 percent. Against this backdrop, the Phoenix Suns vs. Oklahoma City Thunder betting odds for a home win or a defeat for the hosts by a maximum of nine points are worth considering.
