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The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to regain their dominance on Christmas Day, but they won’t have it easy when they host the San Antonio Spurs. It’s the second Spurs vs. Thunder matchup in three days, as San Antonio pulled away for a 130-110 home victory on Tuesday. The Thunder are 26-4, and two of those losses have come to San Antonio (22-7). Oklahoma City started the season 24-1 but has lost three of its past five. Still, the Thunder have the best record in the NBA and are 14-0 at home. Five of San Antonio’s losses have come away from home, but they are 9-1 in their past 10 games.Â
Victor Wembanyama came off the bench Tuesday and scored 12 points for San Antonio after being listed as questionable with a sore calf. He remains on limited minutes as he works his way back from the injury. Keldon Johnson had 25 points and Stephon Castle added 24 as San Antonio pulled away in the third quarter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 33 points. He has topped 30 in four straight games and averages 32.5, second-most in the NBA. The 20-point loss was by far the worst this season for the Thunder, whose previous three were by a combined nine points. There are plenty of talented players available for a same-game parlay at FanDuel Sportsbook for this Christmas Day game.Â
Spurs vs. Thunder NBA same-game parlay picksKeldon Johnson Over 13.5 points + reboundsThunder -9.5Under 235.5
Keldon Johnson Over 13.5 points + rebounds
Johnson is averaging 13 points and 6.3 boards per game and scored a team-high 25 points in Tuesday’s victory. He had just one rebound, but the SportsLine Projection model pegs him for 5.5 in the rematch. Johnson made five of nine 3-pointers in San Antonio’s victory Tuesday and was 10-for-16 overall, and the model expects him to play a significant role again on Christmas Day. The model gives this NBA player prop 4 stars. Â
Thunder -9.5
Oklahoma City is going to be out for revenge and won’t want to lose another one, especially in such a spotlight game. The Thunder have the league’s best defense, allowing 107 points per game, and the second-best offense (122). San Antonio scores 120 points per game (fifth in NBA) and allows 114 (11th). The SportsLine Projection Model has Oklahoma City covering the spread in 64% of simulations and gives this a ‘B’ grade.
Under 235.5
The model has the total coming in at less than 230 points, so take the Under, which is hitting in 61.5% of simulations. Tuesday’s meeting came in at 240, but the teams’ first matchup this season was a 111-109 San Antonio victory. This one should be a closer game as both teams battle for a big Christmas Day victory and the Thunder try to lock down after losing three of their past five.
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