The creme de la creme of the National Basketball Association sees a young star transcend through the stratosphere every few years to join the ranks, often certified with a Most Improved Player Award. Ja Morant just last season and Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2017 saw stars introduced to the upper echelon. Now, Oklahoma City Thunder prodigy Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the betting favorite to win the award.
SGA holds -125 odds on BetMGM. You can get in on that action with their promotion for BetBasics readers: UP TO $1,500 IN BONUS BETS.
Nevertheless, the biggest star of perhaps the league’s smallest market takes on the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. You can find that game on NBA TV. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are coming off of the first night of a back-to-back, an overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls. Can we bet on them to sweep their two-game set? 🧹🧹
Gilgeous-Alexander is on fire
You don’t get to be an easy favorite for a major award without balling out, and SGA is doing just that. Just this month, he’s put up 30 points 10 times. Expect his points prop to be set around there. At the time of writing, the lines haven’t been announced. Assuming he’s playing, I like the over on anything under 31.5.
This season, he’s averaging 31.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per contest. His 32% usage rate ranks seventh amongst players with more than 10 games played. Gilgeous-Alexander is the centerpiece for a team that, at 8-11, is slightly exceeding expectations of a Wembanyama-driven winter.
Not only is he a scoring machine; Houston continues to struggle on defense. At home, they’ve put up a defensive rating of 115.7, good for third-worst in basketball. The Rockets won a high-effort game against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, leaving them vulnerable to defensive deficiencies. They just gave up 83 to Atlanta’s starting backcourt, too. Few circumstances could create a more lucrative matchup. 🔥😍
Take the better team
The props might not yet be listed, but the current spread is listed at -2.5, in Oklahoma City’s favor. For more on spreads, be sure to check the Basic Tips section below.
The Thunder have a nice set of circumstances ahead of them. Young teams like Houston have a tendency to ride high after wins, especially after an emotional win. Oklahoma City is young, too, but shouldn’t be as riled up. They’ve also got the best player on the floor and a pretty small line to cover. After a 7-for-29 night from beyond the arc, some helpful regression could aid their offensive efforts.
Sam Presti’s darlings are the more talented team, and on a night where both rosters are prone to fatigue, expect the stars to shine brightest. Take the Thunder -2.5 (-110) and don’t be afraid of the over on SGA’s scoring prop. If you’re feeling lucky, parlay those two with the over.
BASIC TIPS
The against the spread matchup in this article refers to the line of Thunder -2.5. This means that Oklahoma City must win by at least three points in order for your bet to cash. With -110 odds, a $100 wager would net $90.91 in profit. Likewise, you’d need to put down $110 to win $100.