Nets vs. Thunder Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Sunday, Jan. 19

Bettors should trust OKC's No. 1 defense on Sunday night.

Bettors should trust OKC's No. 1 defense on Sunday night. / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night, but they proceeded to lose to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday (without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) – just their seventh loss of the season.

Now, OKC is favored by 17 points on Sunday against the tanking Brooklyn Nets, who have lost eight of their last 10 games and are just 14-28 on the season. 

However, SGA – the NBA MVP favorite – is listed as questionable for this game and OKC is still down key rotation players in Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Ajay Mitchell. If SGA sits, the Thunder may not be favored by as much, but they’ll still be double-digit faves at home.

Brooklyn has been solid against the spread on the road (16-8-1) but can we trust this makeshift roster to cover against one of the best teams in the NBA?

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to bet in the prop market, and my prediction for this matchup on Sunday. 

Nets vs. Thunder Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Nets +17 (-110)
• Thunder -17 (-110)

Moneyline

• Nets: +900
• Thunder: -1600

Total

• 216.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Nets vs. Thunder How to Watch

• Date: Sunday, Jan. 19
• Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Paycom Center
• How to Watch (TV): YES Network, Bally Sports Oklahoma
• Nets record: 14-28
• Thunder record: 34-7

Nets vs. Thunder Injury Reports

Nets Injury Report

• Bojan Bogdanovic – out
• Cameron Johnson – questionable
• Maxwell Lewis – out
• Cam Thomas – out
• De’Anthony Melton – out
• Trendon Watford – out
• Dariq Whitehead – out

Thunder Injury Report

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – questionable
• Nikola Topic – out
• Chet Holmgren – out
• Isaiah Hartenstein – out
• Ajay Mitchell – out

Nets vs. Thunder Best NBA Prop Bets 

Brooklyn Nets Best NBA Prop Bet

• Nic Claxton OVER 7.5 Rebounds (-120)

Claxton is averaging exactly 7.5 rebounds per game this season, but he has a great matchup against the Thunder, who rank 26th in the NBA in rebounding percentage this season.

On top of that, the Thunder will be without their top two bigs (Holmgren and Hartenstein) on Sunday. Claxton has picked up eight or more boards in 17 of his 35 games this season. 

Oklahoma City Thunder Best NBA Prop Bet

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander OVER 31.5 Points (-110)

Since Shai is questionable, he’s the only player that some sportsbooks are listing for props, as things would change drastically if he was ruled out. 

That being said, I do like the MVP favorite to go over his points total against this weak Brooklyn defense. The Nets are just 25th in the NBA in defensive rating, and SGA has 32 or more points in 12 of his last 17 games, averaging 34.0 points per game over that stretch. 

He should dominate if he’s healthy enough to play on Sunday. 

Nets vs. Thunder Prediction and Pick

With SGA’s status up in the air, I lean to the UNDER in this matchup because of OKC’s elite defense.

The Thunder are No. 1 in the NBA in defensive rating – four points per 100 possessions better than the No. 2 team (the Los Angeles Clippers) so far this season. On top of that, the Thunder allow the fewest points per game while ranking No. 1 in opponent field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, and turnovers per game.

It’s truly remarkable.

Now, it takes on a Brooklyn team that is without its leading scorer (Thomas) and could be down its second-leading scorer (Johnson) on Sunday.

The Nets enter this game ranking 24th in the NBA in offensive rating and they’ve hit the UNDER in 21 of their 42 games. 

If SGA sits, the OKC offense will undoubtedly take a step back, and even if he plays, I don’t see Brooklyn putting up enough points to push this game over 216.5.  

Pick: UNDER 216.5 (-110)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.