Thunder vs. Hawks NBA expert prediction and odds for Wednesday, Jan. 3 (OKC undervalued)
By Peter Dewey
The Oklahoma City Thunder earned their best win of the season on Tuesday night, defeating the league’s best team – the Boston Celtics in OKC.
There is no rest for the Thunder through, as they’re on the road in Atlanta to face Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company win a sixth straight game? OKC is just one game out of the top spot in the West, and the team has climbed to No. 3 in the league in net rating.
This won’t be an easy matchup, but the Hawks have been less than inspiring at home this season, winning just four of their 13 games at State Farm Arena.
If you’re looking to bet on any game in the NBA tonight, FanDuel Sportsbook has an amazing promotional offer. New users who sign up with the link below and wager $5 will receive $150 in bonus bets.
Sign up for FanDuel now!
Here are the odds and my best bet for this matchup on Wednesday night:
Thunder vs. Hawks odds, spread and total
Thunder vs. Hawks how to watch
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 3
- Game Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
- Venue: State Farm Arena
- How to Watch (TV): Bally Sports Southwest, Bally Sports Southeast
- Thunder Record: 23-9
- Hawks Record: 13-19
Thunder vs. Hawks injury reports
Thunder injury report
- Not submitted
Hawks injury report
- Kobe Bufkin – questionable
- Vit Krejci – questionable
- Mouhamed Gueye – out
- De’Andre Hunter – out
- Seth Lundy – questionable
Thunder vs. Hawks key players to watch
Oklahoma City Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: SGA may be the MVP at this point in the season, and he’s coming off a huge game against Boston (36 points, six rebounds, seven assists). Now, he gets to face a fast-paced Atlanta team that may have trouble keeping him out of the paint (27th in points in the paint allowed this season).
Atlanta Hawks
Trae Young: A two-time All-Star, Young is having one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 28.3 points and 11.3 assists per game this season. Now, he gets a tough matchup with the Thunder – a chance to prove he belongs in the same class as SGA.
Thunder vs. Hawks prediction and pick
Yes, this is a tough back-to-back for OKC, but are we really going to not take them as a pick’em against Atlanta?
As long as SGA, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and others are good to go – the team has not released an injury report as of noon on Wednesday – the Thunder should be favored.
OKC is a league best 9-3-1 against the spread on the road this season, and the Thunder are 3-0 ATS on the second night of a back-to-back this season as well.
Meanwhile, the Hawks are a league worst 0-8 against the spread as home favorites.
I can’t back this Atlanta team in this spot, especially since the Hawks are one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA, clocking in at No. 27 in defensive rating.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.