Thunder vs. Wizards NBA expert prediction and odds for Monday, Jan. 8 (Bet on OKC)
By Peter Dewey
The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the road on Monday as they look to snap a two-game skid against one of the league’s worst teams.
The Washington Wizards have just six wins on the season, and they have dropped four in a row entering this matchup with the Thunder.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company have been arguably the best surprise in the league this season, and they are once again one of the best teams in the NBA to bet on. OKC is No. 1 right now in against the spread record, and it finds itself favored – pretty heavily – in Washington.
Can the Thunder come through with another cover?
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Thunder vs. Wizards odds, spread and total
Thunder vs. Wizards how to watch
- Date: Monday, Jan. 8
- Game Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Venue: Capital One Arena
- How to Watch (TV): Bally Sports Southwest, Monumental Sports Network
- Thunder Record: 23-11
- Wizards Record: 6-29
Thunder vs. Wizards injury reports
Thunder injury report
- Keyontae Johnson – out
- Ousmane Dieng – out
Wizards injury report
- Patrick Baldwin Jr. – out
- Jules Bernard – out
- Landry Shamet – questionable
- Delon Wright – questionable
Thunder vs. Wizards key players to watch
Oklahoma City Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: An All-NBA selection last season, SGA is officially in the MVP conversation this season. The star guard is averaging 31.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game shooting 54.7 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from 3.
He’s been terrific in post up scenarios, something he may get a lot of against Tyus Jones and Jordan Poole in the Washington backcourt on Monday.
SGA is 26/32 (81.3%) on post-up FGA this season. Easily the best FG% in the league of anyone over 10 FGA. Would love to see him further explore that part of his game (more step-throughs!). May be the piece that makes him completely unstoppable in the half-court.
— NBA University (@NBA_University) January 2, 2024
Washington Wizards
Kyle Kuzma: Could Kuzma be auditioning for a new team at the trade deadline? The veteran forward signed a new deal with the Wizards in the offseason, but the team is struggling mightily and may use him as a trade chip to bring in more draft capital. This season, Kuzma is averaging 22.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Thunder vs. Wizards prediction and pick
This matchup lines up nicely for OKC, who is due for a bounce-back showing after poor performances against Brooklyn and Atlanta where they got behind big early.
The Thunder are just 3-3 ATS as road favorites, but they’re taking on a Washington team that is one of the worst in the NBA as a home underdog, going just 4-9 ATS.
The Wizards rank 27th in the NBA in net rating, and they have struggled mightily as of late, losing four in a row and eight of their last 10 games.
While the Thunder haven’t been dominant on the road, they do have the best ATS record in the NBA, and the team is No. 4 in the NBA in offensive rating. That should lead to plenty of points on the OKC side since the Wizards are dead last in the league in defensive rating.
I can’t back Washington against one of the NBA’s better teams.
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.