The James Harden-Kevin Durant reunion goes back to where they originally played together when the Brooklyn Nets visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
The Nets are riding a three-game win streak heading into this matchup. With two wins against the Heat and a road win against the Hawks, the Nets have improved their record with Harden to 5-2.
They have now moved into fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 12-8 mark heading into this one. The Big Three for Brooklyn of Harden, Durant and Kyrie Irving will take the team as far as they want it to go.
The Thunder have not had the season most were expecting. With an offseason farewell to Chris Paul and handing the point guard position over to the young star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder still sit at 8-9, good for 10th in the Western Conference.
The Thunder’s young core is doing its best to keep them afloat, but the West is too dominant this year, with six teams already having double-digit wins.
Brooklyn is a seven-point favorite in this contest.
Still KD’s Team
Even with Harden struggling after his first game with the team and Irving missing multiple games due to personal reasons, there was one constant in all of that mess. Durant was going to war every night with no questions asked.
This is still Durant’s team, as he averages 27 points, five rebounds and four assists a night, even when Reggie Perry and DeAndre Jordan were his only rebounders. Unfortunately, the Nets will be without their leader on Friday, as Durant is going to sit out as he continues to recover from his Achilles tendon surgery.
The Nets have improved greatly since the Harden trade. Harden is averaging 24 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds with the Nets through seven games. Brooklyn is 3-2 with Irving back in the lineup and has failed to cover the spread in four of those five games.
The Nets are more likely to win the game outright and not cover the spread, especially without Durant, plus it’s very difficult to cover a large spread on the road.
Still Fighting
The Thunder have been surprisingly competitive this season, with a record of 8-9, 11th in the Western Conference. This is despite the departures of Danilo Gallinari, Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, and Steven Adams in the offseason as the team tries to rebuild.
The core of Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, and Darius Bazeley have all improved on their individual games this season, so the future is bright for the Thunder franchise.
The Thunder are statistically one of the worst teams against the spread this season. They have covered in only two games this whole season as the underdog.
The Thunder have been a favorite for only two games this season, against the Knicks and Hornets, and they won both games but didn’t cover either spread.
Nets Win On Road
Although the Nets are a little short-handed without Durant, they still have plenty of firepower with Irving and Harden in the lineup. It will be interesting to see which one of these two takes the lead, or if they’re able to share the basketball.
Even on the road, Brooklyn is the pick to make in this one.
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