Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction: Can Steph Curry Dish It Out Tonight?
The Oklahoma City Thunder host the Golden State Warriors tonight. Can Steph Curry dish it out? Ben Rajavuori answers.
Ben Rajavuori - December 8, 2023, 5:01 PM EST
7 minGolden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction: Can Steph Curry Dish It Out Tonight?
The 13-7 Oklahoma City Thunder host the 10-11 Golden State Warriors for the final meeting of this regular season. They have already played three games this season, with the Thunder winning the last two after the Warriors won the first meeting. The Thunder are short 3.5-point favorites to win tonight. Where is the best bet in this game?
Warriors vs. Thunder Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: December 8, 2023
- Game Time: 8:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBA League Pass
Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction
The Warriors have not had the start this season when comparing them to the Warriors we have known and loved for years with the splash bros. They are 10-11 at the moment, and entering this game, they are 11th in the Western Conference. It's still very early in the season, but talks of changing the lineup or even trading Chris Paul away have started in the Bay Area.
However, one storyline of this game tonight is the status of point guard Chris Paul. Paul joined the team in the offseason and has made an impact with his playmaking, as he is eighth in the NBA with 7.2 assists per game. He brings a different style to the position than Curry and is better defensively. However, he is listed as questionable with an illness tonight. He had already missed a few games last week with a leg injury, and now he may miss tonight with an undisclosed illness. Although it's a small sample size this season, Curry has stepped up in dishing the ball off when Paul missed games.
Steph Curry has averaged 4.4 assists per game this season. He is the main shooter on the team, and he is expected to score, which is why having him and Paul on the same team works out nicely, since they have different roles as the listed point guard. However, in the two games Chris Paul missed last week, Curry had eight and 11 assists. In the game Paul went out with his leg injury, he only played five minutes, and Curry picked him up, playing nearly 40, and he finished with six assists in that game.
Curry has hung around 4-5 assists with Chris Paul on the team now, but he has clearly dished it off more and played more in the absence of Paul, which was evident last week against the Clippers and Kings. The Thunder are giving up nine assists per game to point guards on average, and Curry will be playing the position all night if Chris Paul can't go. This bet sort of hinges on Paul not playing, but if he didn't show up on the injury report till the afternoon because of an illness, I would be surprised if he ends up playing. We're still early in the season, and the games don't mean much yet, at least this early in the season. Curry should hit at least five assists tonight.
Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Pick
2 Unit Pick: Steph Curry Over 4.5 Assists -112 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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