Thunder vs Suns

NBA odds, picks, and predictions for the Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder on March 19. NBA betting best bet and free pick analysis.

Ayton’s injury changes the dynamic of this game, as Phoenix loses its big man in the middle against a Thunder attack that relentlessly goes after the rim. Losing Durant was a big hit to a roster that relied heavily on the starting five to shoulder the load. OKC is one of the better home teams in the NBA, owning a net rating of +5.6 as a host and putting together a 22-14 ATS mark inside Paycom Center. Phoenix has watched its offensive rating dip to 114.1 since Durant went down – a noticeable decline from the mark of 124.6 in three games with Durant on the floor. The total for Sunday’s showdown opened between 234.5 and 235.5 points and was bouncing between those two numbers. However, OKC was without star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as well as standout rookie Jalen Williams and was playing the second of back-to-back nights. Ayton’s 7-foot frame and quick rotation on the help defense is a big part of protecting the paint, and the Suns will miss his ability to change shots inside tonight. The Suns were already ready thin on talent. The Thunder are leaning into their home-court edge, having won and covered in each of their last four contests inside the Paycom Center. Before Deandre Ayton was ruled out, Phoenix opened as big as a 2.5-point road favorite in OKC. Oklahoma City finds another gear at home, putting up an average of 121 points per home game while firing at better than 48% from the floor. Phoenix loses its top interior producer and that pushes more Suns’ shots to the outside.

The Oklahoma City Thunder play the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, and if you're looking to do some last-minute betting research, you're in luck!

Suns: Kevin Durant is out due to an ankle sprain. Kenrich Williams is out due to wrist surgery. Thunder: Chet Holmgren is out due to foot surgery.

As the Oklahoma City Thunder tirelessly pursue the Play-In Tournament, the Phoenix Suns will attempt to protect their comfortable playoff spot as they're ...

As a rookie, that’s hard to rebuttal, and it is a good part of the learning curve as a rookie. The Suns have noticed his increased production and will gameplan to slow it down. He can control the game with his IQ and passing, and that’s where he will manage this game today. That adds another level of difficulty for the Suns and forces Booker and Paul to bring out their best tomorrow. He’s averaging 9.9 assists per game this month and has racked up some big assist games, and today will have to be another one of those. Again, this will be the Booker and Paul show, and it will have to be if they want to win this game or keep it winnable. Expect a Booker and Chris Paul show today because that will be their path to winning as 1-point underdogs. Now, without Durant healthy, Booker has already had to shoulder a bigger load, and he’s stepped up to that challenge, averaging 32.6 points per game in March thus far. Ayton has been an issue for the Thunder in the last two matchups, so now the Thunder can focus their attention on Devin Booker, who scored 30 first-half points in the last matchup with these teams. The bottom end of the playoff barrel is ever-changing and has seen little to no consistency this season. Oklahoma City can capitalize on that and get their first postseason action since their rebuild began. The two squads have faced off, with the Suns taking both games handily.

Oklahoma City and Phoenix will meet in OKC with both teams continuing to fight for playoff positioning.

Here's when you should tune in to see the game: Date: Sunday, March 19. Time: 2:30 p.m. CT. TV Channel: Bally Sports Oklahoma.

Get live streaming info, TV channel, game time, and head-to-head stats for the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns game on Sunday, March 19, 2023.

They also sport a higher three-point percentage at home (37%) compared to in away games (35%). [free trial to fuboTV](https://affiliates.routy.app/route/51384?affId=3147&ts=5000097&pa=sidebar&cid=2). - In home games, the Thunder are sinking 0.6 more treys per game (12.6) than away from home (12). - At home, the Thunder are averaging 6.6 more points per game (121) than they are in away games (114.4). - The Thunder put up 6.4 more points per game (117.8) than the Suns give up (111.4). [live sports without cable!](https://www.fubo.tv/welcome?irad=343747&irmp=3324905&subId1=dsgraytv&partnerpropertyid=3262112) Use our link to get a [free trial with fuboTV](https://www.fubo.tv/welcome?irad=343747&irmp=3324905&subId1=dsgraytv&partnerpropertyid=3262112).

The absence of Kevin Durant has put the pressure on Devin Booker to perform and he has delivered. Over his last five games, Booker has scored over 25 points in ...

Visit ESPN for the game recap of the Phoenix Suns vs. Oklahoma City Thunder NBA basketball game on March 19, 2023.

... C [Bismack Biyombo](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6427/bismack-biyombo) was issued a technical foul in the first quarter. Suns F [Darius Bazley](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4423545/darius-bazley), who moved from Oklahoma City in the Saric deal, scored three points in seven minutes. [Dario Saric](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3032978/dario-saric) scored four points against the Suns, the team he was traded from earlier this season. [Kevin Durant](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3202/kevin-durant) remained out with a sprained left ankle. ... G [Josh Giddey](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4871145/josh-giddey) was given a technical in the second quarter. Oklahoma City took a 103-102 lead about 40 seconds later on a 3-pointer by Dort, and the Thunder pushed the lead out to 108-102 before Phoenix called timeout. Oklahoma City tied the game at 100 on a layup by Gilgeous-Alexander stole the ball in the closing seconds of the third quarter and scored a layup while being fouled with 0.4 seconds remaining. “The tough turnover at the end of the third ... The Thunder held off a late surge in the final minute. “I just thought he didn’t have his normal jugular-type mentality on his drives (in the second quarter)," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. The players said the crowd at the Paycom Center shared their sense of urgency.

Duelling stars drain 40 points each; Lakers saved by star's career-best: NBA Wrap.

And Jalen Green scored 40 points for the Rockets, but even that wasn’t enough as Houston went down 117-107 to the New Orleans Pelicans. Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic finished with 22 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists as the Western Conference leaders improved to 48-24. “It’s a good win,” Reaves said afterwards. “It was a total team effort,” Gilgeous-Alexander said afterwards. The Lakers, battling to remain in the hunt for a postseason berth in the Western Conference, were left shell-shocked after a buzzer-beating loss to the Mavs on Friday. The Thunder trailed by 10 points early in the fourth quarter but outscored Phoenix 34-24 in the final frame — with Gilgeous-Alexander contributing 10 points — to grab victory.