Thunder vs Hornets Betting Line
Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder (15-8) head to The Big Easy on Friday night to visit Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets (14-7). Game time is 8 pm ET, and as of right now (Friday at 4am ET), New Orleans is favored over Oklahoma City by 3 points at all of the top online sportsbooks.
Since this is a Friday game, we suggest placing your bets at Sportsbook.com where you can get in on the ‘Reduced Juice Fridays’. This means you can get -105 instead of -110 on this and every other NBA game being played today. They welcome U.S. bettors, and accept Visa credit cards.
Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Hornets Game Preview
Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets are only scoring 94.81 points per game, 26th in the league, and last weeks’ thrashing courtesy of the San Antonio Spurs was a wake-up call. New Orleans is not ready for the big stage yet. They’re slumping, having lost six of their last nine, but hopefully have righted themselves after their 93-74 win over Detroit on Wednesday night. Of course Detroit is a weak team though, so I’m not sure we can learn anything from that game.
The Hornets have been the Dr. Jekll and Mr. Hyde of the 2010-2011 NBA season, beating some of the best teams, and losing to some of the worst. This team lacks the discipline to go out with a winning attitude night after night, letting their guard down far too often. This doesn’t work in the NBA, especially in a division that includes the Spurs, Mav’s and Lakers.
Chris Paul is one of the most electric players in the league. Highlight reels buzz when he has the ball, averaging a double-double in points and assists per game at 16.7 and 10.4 respectively. The biggest beneficiaries of his gifts are power forward David West (18.8 ppg) and center Emeka Okafor (10.3 ppg). Trevor Ariza and Marco Belinelli are adding 11.1 and 12 points per game respectively.
For New Orleans, it’s all about defense. Allowing a stingy 91.76 point per game, the Hornets have the ability to keep the score low, keeping them in ballgames. Okafor is huge in the paint with his long arms and quickness. He isn’t blocking shots at the same pace as he did at UConn, but he is swatting away two shots a game.
Oklahoma City is Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Durant is leading the NBA in scoring, averaging 27.4 points a game – plus seven boards per game from the small forward spot.
Westbrook is running the show from the point dishing almost nine helpers a game while pulling down five and half boards. For good measure, the versatile Westbrook pours in 23.7 points per game.
Seventh in offense but 22nd in defense; Oklahoma City will need to play tougher defense against New Orleans. An area of weakness for Oklahoma City is offensive rebounding, so watch for the trend to continue against the Hornets.
The visit to New Orleans is the final game of a three game road trip that opened with a loss against the Bulls, followed by a win over the Timberwolves.
Thunder @ Hornets Betting Tips
The over/under is set at 197, higher than I expect the game to reach. I’ll be taking the under at Sportsbook.com. If you prefer the over, get it at BetOnline.com instead, where the o/u is currently at 196.5.
Look for the Hornets D to keep Durant and company at bay while Chris Paul outduels Russell Westbrook. I’m thinking this ends in a 4-7 point win for the Hornets, so I’m happy to get them at -3 at Sportsbook.com.
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