Thunder vs. Suns NBA expert prediction and odds for Sunday, March 3 (Trust OKC)

The Oklahoma City Thunder are still angling for the top spot in the Western Conference, sitting half a game back of the Minnesota Timberwolves coming into Sunday’s action. 

OKC picked up a loss in its last game against San Antonio, but the team has had two days off heading into this matchup with the Phoenix Suns on ESPN. 

Phoenix lost on Saturday to the Houston Rockets, and the team lost Jusuf Nurkic to a neck injury in the process. Devin Booker also left the game banged up with an ankle injury. 

Can the Suns weather the storm to pull off an upset as home dogs?

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Let’s dive into the odds and my best bet in this game: 

Thunder vs. Suns odds, spread and total

Thunder vs. Suns how to watch

• Date: Sunday, March 3
• Time: 9:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Footprint Center
• How to watch (TV): ESPN
• Thunder record: 41-18
• Suns record: 35-25

Thunder vs. Suns injury reports

Thunder injury report

• Adama Flagler – out
• Jaylin Williams – out
• Keyontae Johnson – out
• Ousmane Dieng – out

Suns injury report

• Not submitted yet

Thunder vs. Suns key players to watch

Oklahoma City Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: SGA has scored 30 or more points in seven straight games, pushing his season average to 31.2 points per game. Earlier this season against Phoenix, the Thunder guard had 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting. One of the toughest guards in the NBA, SGA could be in line for a big game against a Suns team that is banged up heading into this one. 

Phoenix Suns

Kevin Durant: With Booker (ankle) and Nurkic (neck) up in the air for this game, a large load is going to fall on Durant. The two-time NBA Finals MVP had a big game against Houston on Saturday (30 points, nine rebounds, two assists) but it wasn’t enough for the Suns to get the win. The last game against OKC in November, Durant scored 28 points on 7-of-18 shooting. 

Thunder vs. Suns prediction and pick

There’s a chance the Suns sit some players on the second night of a back-to-back, and the team is just 5-5 against the spread in that spot this season. 

OKC is 8-5-1 against the spread with a rest advantage this season, and the team has gone 9-9 ATS as a road favorite. 

While the Thunder lost badly to a Spurs team on Thursday, I can’t help but take them in this spot against a Suns team that allowed Houston to win just its sixth road game all season. Plus, with Bradley Beal dealing with an injury as well before returning last night, it’s unclear if Phoenix is going to try to keep him healthy for the stretch run and have him rest. 

If that’s the case (even though Beal was ejected last night), the Thunder should be able to take care of business against Durant and a bunch of role players. I lean with OKC until there is more clarity around who is playing for the Suns. 

Pick: Thunder -6.5

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.