Hornets vs. Thunder Prediction, Picks for Friday, Feb. 2
Here's everything you need to know about Hornets vs. Thunder on Friday, Feb. 2 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today.
The Thunder enter this contest as heavy favorites at home against the struggling Hornets. Let's get to our Hornets vs. Thunder prediction and pick.
Hornets vs. Thunder Prediction
Pick: Hornets +17
Hornets Betting Outlook
The Hornets enter this game on a five-game losing skid, with their last win coming when Terry Rozier was still on the team.
Despite entering this game on a losing streak and with a clear talent deficit, I actually like the schedule spot in the first game of a road trip for a young team looking to gel. A road trip after a trade is likely what is needed for some morale boosting and bonding, especially as young players like Brandon Miller get more usage and become team leaders.
Despite LaMelo Ball not currently being on the injury list, I would still consider him questionable considering he missed the last three contests and has not officially been ruled active. If Ball plays, this line should move back to the open at +15 and there is clear CLV grabbing the +17. If Ball doesn't play, the +17 is not going to go much further, so it presents a strong one-sided line movement opportunity.
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Thunder Betting Outlook
The Oklahoma City Thunder currently sit in the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference and are the darling story of the 2023-24 NBA season thus far. However, close observers will notice they have dropped two of their last three, and the one win was a comeback victory in which they were down early yet again.
As we reach the dullest part of the NBA schedule right before the All-Star break, look for teams to hit their "rookie wall" and come out with some lackluster efforts. This has been noticable over the last few games, and as an NBA handicapper, I weigh the outcomes of the last three contests more than the larger sample size.
The Thunder haven't played great of late, and this does not feel like a spot to be 17-point favorites against another young team.
Hornets vs. Thunder Picks, Odds
| Hornets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+16 -110 | 230 -110o / -110u | +900 |
| Thunder Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-16 -110 | 230 -110o / -110u | -1600 |
While the basketball angles really align for the Hornets to have a strong road showing, the strongest part of this cap is the way to correlate numbers and line movement to find value.
This spread opened at Thunder -15 with a game total of 234. Since open, there has been movement in two directions: The Thunder are becoming larger favorites and the Under is dropping rapidly. There are now 229s popping up for the total. This could be a sign that Ball is going to miss his fourth straight game, but I cannot ignore a very large rising spread matched with a medium total thats dropping.
The best way to play into the strongest movement on the board, the Under, is to correlate the spread outcomes. I do not want to chase five points of steam already moving to the Under, but I do know that if this game is low-scoring it becomes much harder for the Thunder to win by at least 18. Either this game flies over, or the Hornets are likely to cover.
Pick: Hornets +17
