NBA 2021/22 on Friday, 12/24/2021
The Omicron variety is striking fear into the entire league. With every NBA tip, there is always a need to check lineups at the moment to determine which players have been sequestered due to covid infection and which have not.
But all these problems do not arise in the game between the Phoenix Suns and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Indeed, the Arizonans are well and ready to extend their record-breaking home winning streak with another victory…
The Suns only made basketball history in November. That’s because Head Coach Monty Williams’ squad became only the sixth franchise ever to start an NBA month with an insane 16-0 record.
That winning trend hasn’t changed too much since. Especially since the team from Arizone has won eight of their last ten games and, together with the Golden State Warriors, continue to lead the Western Conference with a commanding 25 wins each.
Another piece of good news is that while other NBA teams like the Raptors and Cavaliers have been virtually crippled by the Omikron strain, the Suns haven’t suffered a single loss attributable to a Corona infection.
Due in part to the fact that Omikron has hit other teams harder, the Suns were able to bag their fourth straight commanding victory with yesterday’s triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers.
But back in their own stadium, the Suns’ dominance is even greater. They have won fourteen NBA home games in a row in front of their home crowd – and there is no end in sight to this amazing streak.
With a negative record of (10-19), the Thunder are not the team the Suns will fail to beat. Especially since OKC already suffered a bitter 103-140 cap in their last visit to Arizona this April.
Incidentally, Oklahoma conceded their highest NBA defeat ever against the Grizzlies (79:152) at the beginning of the month. Not good omens, therefore, to be able to hold one’s own against such a strong team as the home side.
Another disadvantage is the fact that the Suns were able to put their feet up last night, while OKC had to fight an exhausting match against the Nuggets, even if it at least resulted in a 108:94 victory!
Another good argument against an OKC win, meanwhile, is provided by the statistics. They seem to suggest that the visitors simply don’t have what it takes to be a serious threat to a team from the upper third of the conference.
If we include the preseason, the Thunder have won a total of four of their fifteen away games. But none of these victories came against a franchise that is currently ranked in the top six of one of the two conferences.
And just now the league leader is to be felled? Unlikely! Especially since the Arizonans are currently playing like the Harlem Globe Trotters! In fact, each of the last three Suns games have been won by a difference of more than 17 points.
Old and new bettors on both sides of the pond don’t doubt for a second that the home side will come out on top.
A Suns triumph is currently being offered at low odds of 1.10, while a shock victory for the visitors could lead to a tenfold increase in the betting odds.
Summary: OKC is unfortunately a basketball lightweight that just this month suffered the highest defeat in its history and has yet to beat a team in the top 6 of the WC or EC away from home.
It is highly unlikely that this will happen now against the league leader. Especially since the Suns have won fourteen straight home games and have outscored their opponents by over 17 points in each of their last three games.
The Omikron variation has spared the home side, so there is no reason to speculate on a sudden sag. Instead, there are many indications that Oklahoma will take a good beating, as they did on their last visit to the Footprint Center.
My Suns Thunder tip: The 2020/21 NBA Finals contender continues its home winning streak with another resounding victory
