PHOENIX vs OKLAHOMA CITY 11/12/2018 Odds, Picks & Preview

The PHOENIX and the OKLAHOMA CITY will both be gunning for a victory on 11/12/2018 at 8:05 PM when they meet in a game matchup.

PHOENIX SUNS vs OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Monday, November 12, 2018
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: OKLAHOMA CITY , PHOENIX

Oddsmakers currently have the OKLAHOMA CITY listed as 8.5 point favorites versus the PHOENIX, while the game’s total is sitting at 217.

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a bit of a letdown at Dallas on Saturday, watching a seven-game winning streak come to an end in a sub-par defensive performance. The Thunder will try to right themselves at home and get back in the win column when they host the Phoenix Suns on Monday.

Oklahoma City built up enough confidence during the winning streak that it was able to easily brush aside the rare off night on Saturday, in which it shot 39.2 percent while allowing the Mavericks to go off at 55.8. “It’s one game. We’re playing good basketball,” Paul George told reporters. “Tonight wasn’t our night, but it doesn’t take away the games that we’ve had over the whole course of the last eight games. We’re still in high spirits. We still have a positive group moving forward. It didn’t do anything to our confidence.” The Suns dropped their last three games and 10 of the last 11, including a 117-110 setback at the Thunder on Oct. 28. “Stick with it, stay together,” Phoenix small forward TJ Warren told reporters after the most recent loss, a 119-99 setback at New Orleans on Saturday. “Everything is not going to be pretty, but we’ve just got to fight through the adversity. Keep staying together.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Arizona (Phoenix), FS Oklahoma

ABOUT THE SUNS (2-10): Phoenix is breaking in No. 1 overall draft pick Deandre Ayton, and the 20-year-old center is already stepping into a role as a team leader. “I just think we’re too cool sometimes,” Ayton told reporters after Saturday’s setback. “I think we need a wake-up call. Just be straight forward and say we’ve got a lot of building to do. Once we look in the mirror and just say we have a lot of work to do, we’re not that good.” Ayton recorded his third straight double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds on Saturday and is averaging 16.1 points on 60.4 percent shooting and 10.9 rebounds.

ABOUT THE THUNDER (7-5): Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook missed the last three games with an ankle injury and remains day-to-day, leaving the team without its most dynamic playmaker. The Thunder made up for the loss by turning it up at the defensive end in wins over Cleveland and Houston but struggled to defend the 3-point line in Saturday’s setback. “The biggest difference was obviously the 3-point shooting,” Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan told reporters.” They shot it really well, and we had our opportunities and didn’t shoot particularly well. They made some timely shots when we were making runs. Give them credit for doing that.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Thunder PG Dennis Schroder is averaging 20.3 points while starting in place of Westbrook in the last three contests.

2. The Suns went 19-of-20 from the free-throw line in Saturday’s loss.

3. Oklahoma City stretched its winning streak in the series to three straight with the 117-110 win on Oct. 28.

PREDICTION: Thunder 113, Suns 96

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