NBA Betting Picks – Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans

Is it possible to have co-MVPs from the same team? The Oklahoma City Thunder are certainly testing that theory with the play of Russell Westbrook and Paul George, who have led the club to 11 victories in the last 12 outings, and four in a row. The New Orleans Pelicans have an MVP talent on their club.

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Unfortunately, Anthony Davis won’t be in a Pels uniform if and when he does collect the hardware. AD expressed a desire to play elsewhere and the team has struggled since his trade demand losing two straight and five of the last seven. The teams hook up in the last game before the break and one will enter it with a win.

Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans

Date and Time: Thursday, February 14, 2019, 8 p.m. ET

Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA

Opening NBA Odds: Thunder -4, O/U 237

Thunder at Pelicans TV Coverage: TNT

Odds Analysis

Talk about a game with teams heading in the opposite direction, this is it. The Thunder are rolling behind the phenomenal play of George and Westbrook having won four straight and 11 of their last 12 games. They are 4-0 ATS during their current streak and 10-2 ATS overall. And they’ve taken out some decent team in that stretch with wins over Philly, Portland twice, Milwaukee and Houston.

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OKC also has a win over New Orleans during its current run of success, bumping off the Pels 122-116 at home three weeks ago. The Thunder didn’t have to deal with Davis in that matchup and Julius Randle was also out, making things a little easier.

AD has already checked out as he waits for the season to end. Since coming forward with his trade demand the Pels have lost two of three, including the last two, and they are just 4-10 overall and 7-6-1 ATS in their last 14 games. And with little help from AD, the Pels established a new season-low point total in the last two contests.

Thunder

Westbrook’s run of consecutive triple-doubles is starting to rub off on his teammates. Russ extended his streak to 10 games in a win over the Blazers by going for 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, breaking the second-longest streak of triple-double games, which was set by Wilt Chamberlain 51 years ago. And now George is getting in on the action. Westbrook makes a triple-double look routine. But George collected his first in five years by scoring 47 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

George eclipsed the 40-point mark for the second straight game and has done it three times in the last six outings. Overall George is averaging 28.7 points per game, slightly better than Stephen Curry for second-best in the Association. And when the Thunder get some help from their complementary players, they are even more difficult to beat. Playing shorthanded with Jerami Grant and Dennis Schroeder out, seldom used Raymond Felton and Deonte Burton took on larger roles and delivered. Burton chipped in with 18 points and Felton added 15 with both coming off the bench.

Pelicans

The Pels got a glimpse of life without AD and it doesn’t look pretty. It’s one thing to know a player is coming back from an injury or crisis. It’s another to know that when the season ends your best player is going to be gone. The Pels will play out the string and it looks just like that. They scored a season-low in a 99-90 loss to Memphis only to establish a new low point total in a 118-88 loss to Orlando the last time out.

Davis was on the floor for that game, but he didn’t play. AD scored just three points, his second-lowest output in any game where he played at least 24 minutes. Davis spent a lot of time on the bench and he gave Alvin Gentry an excuse after playing so poorly. Gentry said AD will play, more to avoid any fines the league will hand down than anything else. Gentry needs to get a look at different players, one who will be in uniform next season, and it’s cost the Pels deeply.

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Russ and George are the backbone and they’ve done all they can to carry the club. Westbrook has deferred scoring to George, but Russ still gets his. There is very little on the bench and when guys like Felton and Burton come through, Russ and PG13 have an easier time putting up numbers. And OKC will get a team in transition as the Pels try to examine players that will be around next season. That being said, I like the Thunder against a team without its big scorer and defender.

NBA Score Prediction: Thunder 118, Bucks 109

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