Thunder vs. Knicks Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Friday, Jan. 10

Should we expect a low-scoring matchup in New York on Friday?

Should we expect a low-scoring matchup in New York on Friday? / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

For the second time this month, the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder square off in what has been an insanely difficult stretch for the Thunder.

OKC had its 15-game winning streak snapped by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, and it’s played New York, Boston and Cleveland (the top three teams in the Eastern Conference) all in the last eight days. Pretty crazy. 

Now, the Thunder are looking to bounce back with a win against a Knicks team that snapped a three-game losing streak on Wednesday against the lowly Toronto Raptors.

New York has listed Karl-Anthony Towns as questionable in this game even though he played on Wednesday night. Guard Miles McBride is also questionable with a hamstring injury. 

On the OKC side, Alex Caruso and Chet Holmgren remain out of the lineup, but oddsmakers have still set the No. 1 seed in the West as a road favorite in this one.

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for this showdown between two of the NBA’s best teams. 

Thunder vs. Knicks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Thunder -3.5 (-108)
• Knicks +3.5 (-112)

Moneyline

• Thunder: -162
• Knicks: +136

Total

• 225 (Over -112/Under -108)

Thunder vs. Knicks How to Watch

• Date: Friday, Jan. 10
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Madison Square Garden
• How to Watch (TV): NBA TV
• Thunder record: 30-6
• Knicks record: 25-13

Thunder vs. Knicks Injury Reports

Thunder Injury Report

• Alex Caruso – out
• Ousmane Dieng – out
• Adam Flagler – out
• Chet Holmgren – out
• Nikola Topic – out
• Dillon Jones – out
• Ajay Mitchell – out

Knicks Injury Report

• Miles McBride – questionable
• Karl-Anthony Towns – questionable
• Mitchell Robinson – out
• Kevin McCullar Jr. – out

Thunder vs. Knicks Best NBA Prop Bets

Oklahoma City Thunder Best NBA Prop Bet

• Jalen Williams UNDER 20.5 Points (-115)

Oklahoma City Thunder wing Jalen Williams has a tough matchup with OG Anunoby on Friday night (Anunoby was the primary defender on him in the last meeting between these teams), and I’m selling high on the former lottery pick in New York.

Williams had 25 in the loss to Cleveland on Wednesday night, but prior to that game he had failed to clear 20.5 points in eight consecutive games, lowering his eason average to just 20.7 points per game.

Despite taking 17 shots against New York last Friday, Williams still finished with just 20 points. I think he ends up just short of this prop again tonight. 

New York Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet

• Josh Hart OVER 8.5 Rebounds (-140)

I shared a prop for Hart today in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points: 

This is a great matchup for Josh Hart – especially if Karl-Anthony Towns (questionable) sits out this game for the Knicks. Towns returned to the lineup on Wednesday night, but he’s remained on the injury report with a knee injury.

Hart only had seven boards in the last matchup with OKC, but he’s picked up at least 11 rebounds in eight of his last nine games overall. On the season, Hart is averaging 9.1 rebounds per game.

Now, he gets to take on an OKC team that allows the second-most opponent rebounds per game while ranking 29th in rebounding percentage. I’ll buy Hart with this number set below his season average tonight. 

Thunder vs. Knicks Prediction and Pick

Just last week, the Thunder and Knicks played a matchup that finished with 224 combined points, and that’s with the Knicks putting together an extremely impressive first half.

OKC then locked things down in the second half – especially the fourth quarter – to pull out a win at home.

The Thunder have by far the best defensive rating in the NBA, and they’re second in the league in scoring defense. While the Knicks aren’t as great defensively, they’re still eighth in scoring defense – partially due to their slow pace of play.

New York enters Friday’s matchup at No. 25 in the NBA in pace, and it was able to slow things down with OKC earlier this season to fall short of this total. 

Even at home, I’m not sold on the Knicks putting together a huge offensive game, especially after they turned in poor offensive showings against Chicago and Orlando during their three-game skid. 

I’ll bet on these defenses being the story of the game on Friday. 

Pick: UNDER 225 (-108)

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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.