NBA Betting Preview: Durant and Thunder host Chicago Bulls
Kevin Durant is the favorite for the NBA MVP award at most basketball betting outlets and Oklahoma City is the favorite tonight at home versus the Bulls.
The Summer of LeBron turns into what could be the Season of KD when the Oklahoma City Thunder begins its season Wednesday night at home against the Chicago Bulls (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
By KD, of course, I mean Kevin Durant, who in one excellent regular season and a stellar stint with Team USA at last summer’s World Championships has seemingly lifted himself into a discussion with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as the league’s best perimeter player.
Public bettors are certainly on board with that assessment. Most sportsbooks have Durant as the favorite to win the 2010-11 MVP Award ahead of the likes of Bryant, James, and Dwight Howard.
Look, I like Durant as much as the next guy. The kid has his head on his shoulders, and I’ll admit there might not be a better pure scorer in the NBA.
Is Durant really capable of being MVP this very season? While the story is still to be written in Miami, last I checked, LeBron was in the prime of his career, and that Kobe guy is primed to lead the two-time defending champions to the best record in the tougher conference.
Keep in mind Oklahoma City finished eighth in the Western Conference last season at 50-32 SU and a profitable 48-34 ATS, and that it made no real improvements to last year’s roster.
The young bucks like Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green should get better, but will it be enough to lift the Thunder to or near the top of the West? It remains to be seen, I think.
That said, I agree with the public on Oklahoma City as 6-point favorites against Chicago on Wednesday. As of press time, close to 60% of wagers on the spread had come in on the Thunder, and that’s the right call for those evaluating the betting odds.
As we found out in Oklahoma City’s loss to the Lakers in the first round of last spring’s playoffs, the fans at the Oklahoma City Arena (then the Ford Center) can really rock the building and give the Thunder a homecourt advantage.
This being the first game of the season, I expect that place to be raucous for Durant’s return to the court.
The Bulls also have no one to guard Durant. Luol Deng should draw the early assignment on him, but he’s an average defender at best. Keith Bogans and James Johnson could also check Durant, who proved last season that you better have a Ron Artest on the roster if you’re planning to try and contain him.
Chicago is also without marquee free agent signee Carlos Boozer, who is out until early December with a broken right pinky finger. Joakim Noah (flu) and Kyle Korver (ankle) are expected to be in the lineup for first-year head coach Tom Thibodeau.
If there’s a chance for Bulls backers it’s that Oklahoma City could be a little thin in the paint due to injuries. Nenad Krstic (finger surgery) and Cole Aldrich (shoulder) are questionable, while Nick Collison (left leg) remains sidelined.
Still, the Thunder has the pieces to keep Noah off the glass. Serge Ibaka and B.J. Mullins should man the inside, and Durant and Jeff Green are more than capable of logging minutes at the four in an uptempo offense.
Derrick Rose’s abilities are usually a decided advantage for Chicago, but he’ll be matching up with Westbrook on Wednesday. With Boozer out, Rose is the Bulls' No. 1 option in the halfcourt, and he should be slowed just enough by Westbrook to have Oklahoma City cover the number.
The teams split two meetings last season, with Chicago cashing as 6-point pups in a 96-86 win at Oklahoma City on January 27. Rose went for 26 points and seven assists for the Bulls, who got 17 points from Deng. Durant posted 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, as Chicago outrebounded Oklahoma City 53-40.
The total for Wednesday’s game is listed from 194 to 195 depending on the venue.
Kevin Durant is the favorite for the NBA MVP award at most basketball betting outlets and Oklahoma City is the favorite tonight at home versus the Bulls.
The Summer of LeBron turns into what could be the Season of KD when the Oklahoma City Thunder begins its season Wednesday night at home against the Chicago Bulls (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
By KD, of course, I mean Kevin Durant, who in one excellent regular season and a stellar stint with Team USA at last summer’s World Championships has seemingly lifted himself into a discussion with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as the league’s best perimeter player.
Public bettors are certainly on board with that assessment. Most sportsbooks have Durant as the favorite to win the 2010-11 MVP Award ahead of the likes of Bryant, James, and Dwight Howard.
Look, I like Durant as much as the next guy. The kid has his head on his shoulders, and I’ll admit there might not be a better pure scorer in the NBA.
Is Durant really capable of being MVP this very season? While the story is still to be written in Miami, last I checked, LeBron was in the prime of his career, and that Kobe guy is primed to lead the two-time defending champions to the best record in the tougher conference.
Keep in mind Oklahoma City finished eighth in the Western Conference last season at 50-32 SU and a profitable 48-34 ATS, and that it made no real improvements to last year’s roster.
The young bucks like Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green should get better, but will it be enough to lift the Thunder to or near the top of the West? It remains to be seen, I think.
That said, I agree with the public on Oklahoma City as 6-point favorites against Chicago on Wednesday. As of press time, close to 60% of wagers on the spread had come in on the Thunder, and that’s the right call for those evaluating the betting odds.
As we found out in Oklahoma City’s loss to the Lakers in the first round of last spring’s playoffs, the fans at the Oklahoma City Arena (then the Ford Center) can really rock the building and give the Thunder a homecourt advantage.
This being the first game of the season, I expect that place to be raucous for Durant’s return to the court.
The Bulls also have no one to guard Durant. Luol Deng should draw the early assignment on him, but he’s an average defender at best. Keith Bogans and James Johnson could also check Durant, who proved last season that you better have a Ron Artest on the roster if you’re planning to try and contain him.
Chicago is also without marquee free agent signee Carlos Boozer, who is out until early December with a broken right pinky finger. Joakim Noah (flu) and Kyle Korver (ankle) are expected to be in the lineup for first-year head coach Tom Thibodeau.
If there’s a chance for Bulls backers it’s that Oklahoma City could be a little thin in the paint due to injuries. Nenad Krstic (finger surgery) and Cole Aldrich (shoulder) are questionable, while Nick Collison (left leg) remains sidelined.
Still, the Thunder has the pieces to keep Noah off the glass. Serge Ibaka and B.J. Mullins should man the inside, and Durant and Jeff Green are more than capable of logging minutes at the four in an uptempo offense.
Derrick Rose’s abilities are usually a decided advantage for Chicago, but he’ll be matching up with Westbrook on Wednesday. With Boozer out, Rose is the Bulls' No. 1 option in the halfcourt, and he should be slowed just enough by Westbrook to have Oklahoma City cover the number.
The teams split two meetings last season, with Chicago cashing as 6-point pups in a 96-86 win at Oklahoma City on January 27. Rose went for 26 points and seven assists for the Bulls, who got 17 points from Deng. Durant posted 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, as Chicago outrebounded Oklahoma City 53-40.
The total for Wednesday’s game is listed from 194 to 195 depending on the venue.