Oklahoma vs Minnesota Prediction: Top Defenses Struggle to Reach the Total

Prediction for the NBA match between Oklahoma vs Minnesota, which will take place on January 1st. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the teams' conditions! Several betting options are available.

Oklahoma

The Thunder are top of the Western Conference with 26 wins and 5 losses. The team proved their top level again in the last game. At home, Oklahoma outplayed their closest rival, Memphis, and beat them easily. The Grizzlies were missing Ja Morant, but the final score difference is still impressive - 130:106. Shay Gilgeous-Alexander was the Thunder's top scorer with 33 points. Aya Mitchell, a 22-year-old freshman guard from Belgium, also scored 17 points.

This means Oklahoma has now won six games in a row and 11 of the last 12 games. And it's worth mentioning that the Thunder have stayed top of the defensive efficiency ratings, letting in an average of 103.3 points per game.

Minnesota

The Timberwolves are fifth in the defensive rating with an average of 107.2 points per game. Chris Finch's team is still one of the strongest in the West, but they're not exactly happy with their tournament position right now. With a 17-14 record, Minnesota is currently sitting in eighth in the conference. This is mostly because they're struggling on offence, ranking 23rd in the league with an average of 109.3 points per game.

But they've had three wins in a row before the Oklahoma City game. First, they beat Dallas away (105:99) on Christmas Day, then they were stronger in Texas than Houston (113:112), and then at home they outplayed San Antonio (112:110).

Expert Betting Tips

Minnesota and Oklahoma are both in the top 5 for defence rating, so the total points scored might not be the best bet for the upcoming game. The other team is pretty good at messing up the other team's offence, and it's not like they're going to score 200 points easily. But we reckon Minnesota will win on three-pointers.