Thunder vs Knicks Odds and Picks

• The Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks matchup on Friday night 
• Starting the season strongly, there’s fresh optimism for this young Knicks team
• Get the latest Thunder vs Knicks odds, preview and a pick below

The Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks were tabbed as two of the NBA’s weakest teams before the season started. Ahead of their Friday January 8th matchup, it hasn’t worked out that way.

New York is 5-3 and the 3-4 Thunder have looked better than many expected with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shouldering lead ball-handling duties.

The Knicks are three-point favorites for Friday’s game as they look to extend their winning streak to four games. Tom Thibodeau’s team are still without first round pick Obi Toppin, as well as Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Frank Ntilikina.

The Thunder are missing three players; Aleksej Pokusevski, Ty Jerome and Trevor Ariza.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs New York Knicks Odds

Odds taken on Jan 8th from FanDuel

All-Star Randle

Julius Randle has been one of the best players in the NBA this season. In true Thibodeau fashion, he leads the league in minutes, closely followed by RJ Barrett. The former Laker is posting career highs across the board, and operating as a point forward, compensating for the Knicks’ lack of perimeter creativity. Randle’s 7.4 assists per game thus far is over double his previous career-best.

There will be an interesting battle for the foul line. Amid strong three-point and scoring numbers, Randle is also getting to the line 6.8 times per game. The Thunder are committing the third-fewest personal fouls on the season. Al Horford has proved to be a good defensive anchor for OKC, who rank 15th in defensive rating.

Third in total rebounds, 11th in free throw attempts, seventh in assists and fourth in touches per game, Randle has been the center of everything good about the Knicks on the offensive end. He’s the hub of their offense. As is expected with Thibodeau, he’s playing harder on the defensive end, too. The Knicks’ defensive rating is 4.7 better with Randle on the floor.

Knicks Defensive Skepticism

The surface defense numbers are great for New York. Eighth in defensive rating, rebounding the ball well and fouling much less than last season, the results have been good, but the shot distribution is less encouraging.

They are 28th in the league in giving up shots at the rim and corner threes, the two locations teams are trying to get to. Teams are shooting under 30% from deep against them so far this season. While some of that can be accounted for with the trademark Thibodeau defensive hustle, which has been present, these are also unsustainable numbers. It’s not a surprise to see them protect the rim at a good rate too, but they are still letting opponents get too many shots at the basket.

The Thunder, ranked 30th in offense, are not loaded with talent. They are an interesting matchup for the Knicks. OKC leads the league in corner threes, but they have struggled to make them. Even this rebuilding roster should see an improvement in that regard – Gilgeous-Alexander, Horford and Darius Bazley should see their three-point percentages rise over the coming weeks.

Well-Matched Rosters

These two teams are a fairly even match on pure talent. Randle’s early season performances have been stellar, but it’s unlikely he sustains this level long-term. The matchup with Horford is going to be a challenge for him – the former Sixer has shown he’s still an effective center despite a difficult year in Philadelphia.

The Knicks are riding a wave right now. Confidence is sky-high, and while there are legitimate reasons for concern about their defense, they are hustling hard enough to make it difficult for a Thunder team which has struggled on the offensive end so far.

New York is 5-3 ATS on the young season. They’re a good bet to make that 6-3.

Pick: New York Knicks -3 (-110)