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Oklahoma City Thunder – Philadelphia 76ers Preview – 03.18.2016

The Philadelphia 76ers (9-59) take on the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder (46-22) at the Wells Fargo Center. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 18 and will air on FxK and CSP.

The 76ers lost to the Wizards 99-94 on Thursday. Nerlens Noel put in a solid effort despite the loss for Philadelphia, recording 14 points and 16 rebounds to earn his 13th double-double of the season. The Thunder, meanwhile, are coming off a 130-109 win over the Celtics on Wednesday. Kevin Durant shot 9-for-19 and led in scoring with 28 points.

Enes Kanter has been on a tear over the last five games for the Thunder, averaging 17.0 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 0.8 steals.

Oklahoma City could own the offensive glass in this matchup, as it ranks first in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage at 30.7%. Conversely, Philadelphia places 28th in the league on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 73.9%.

This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Thunder won the first game 102-85. Russell Westbrook played a huge role in the victory with a triple-double, with 21 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists.

The 76ers enter the game with records of 9-59 Straight Up (SU) and 30-37-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 9-59 SU and 30-37-1 ATS against teams from the Western Conference.

On the other side, the Thunder head into the game with records of 28-37-3 ATS and 46-22 SU. Although they’ve done very well in road games against divisional foes (0-7), Oklahoma City sports a lackluster 2-5 record ATS. Oklahoma City is one of the top shooting teams in the league, hitting .476 of its shots from the floor. The Thunder are a force on the boards, grabbing a league-best 48.4 rebounds per game. Switching gears to Oklahoma City’s defense, it averages 6.1 blocks per game, good for third in the league.

The Thunder’s win over Philadelphia in their last clash moved their SU record in the last 10 against Philadelphia to 10-0. Additionally, the Thunder lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.

Predictions: SU Winner – OKC

Notes

“Philadelphia is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games “.

“Philadelphia is 1-16 SU in its last 17 games “.

“The total has gone OVER in 7 of Philadelphia’s last 10 games “.

“Philadelphia is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home”.

“Philadelphia is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games at home”.

“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia’s last 6 games at home”.

“Philadelphia is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Oklahoma City”.

“Philadelphia is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City”.

“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia’s last 6 games when playing Oklahoma City”.

“Philadelphia is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City”.

“Philadelphia is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City”.

“The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Philadelphia’s last 13 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City”.

Both Oklahoma City and Philadelphia rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Oklahoma City puts up 0.0 points per game, while Philadelphia allows 0.0.

Oklahoma City and Philadelphia are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Oklahoma City scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Philadelphia gives up 0.0 points at home on average.

When Philadelphia allows fewer than 100 points, the team has a losing 6-14 record this season. Oklahoma City also has an underachieving record when it scores fewer than 100 (3-11).

When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the 76ers are just 3-45 this season. Oklahoma City is a fantastic 43-11 when it reaches the century mark.

The 76ers have an offensive rating of 96.9 (ranked 30th). The Thunder rank 12th for their defensive rating of 103.3.

The Philadelphia 76ers average 100.1 possessions per game and .969 points per possession, while the Oklahoma City Thunder earn fewer possessions (99.8) but more points per possession (1.103).

Oklahoma City has an average effective field goal percentage of 52.2% (ranked third in the league}. Philadelphia is a subpar 2-26 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.

On average, Philadelphia attempts 26.0 three pointers and Oklahoma City attempts 22.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the 76ers have a 6-36 record while the Thunder have a solid 15-8 record.

The Philadelphia 76ers rank 29th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.27. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a higher A/TO (1.50), ranking 23rd.

The Thunder earn a league-high 48.4 rebounds per game, while the 76ers rank 29th with 41.2 per game.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the top offensive rebounding team in the league, while the Philadelphia 76ers rank 26th in defensive rebounding.

On average, the 76ers force a turnover rate of 14.4%. When the Thunder turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 26-12 record.

Written by GMS Previews

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