Phoenix Suns vs. Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Betting Predictions , Wagering Odds Picks and Parlays

The Groin Strain Hype Train: Suns vs. Thunder

The Phoenix Suns and the Oklahoma City Thunder are facing off in a Western Conference NBA Cup quarter-final rematch, and man, is the hype around this one all about Devin Booker. The Suns' star guard, who's been sidelined for the last two games with a nasty right groin strain, has been officially upgraded to questionable. 

That might not sound like much, but it’s a massive flag for a guy who was initially expected to be out for at least a week. He's been seen taking shots and doing controlled drills, so the return is right on schedule, or maybe even a little fast-tracked for this high-stakes knockout game. If he plays, even on a minutes restriction, it totally changes the game plan for the Thunder, who have been on a historic tear.

OKC is not just good, they are ridiculous. They're riding a 15-game winning streak and sitting on a 23-1 record overall, easily the best in the league. They already beat the Suns in group play, which is how they snagged the West's number one seed for the tournament. The Thunder's defense is absolutely elite, and they thrive on disrupting rhythm dribbles and speeding up opponents, something Booker called out after their last tight battle. 

The Suns, without Booker, have been alternating wins and losses, leaning heavily on Kevin Durant to do pretty much everything. They managed to sneak into the knockout round as a wild card, but going into the Paycom Center without D-Book against this version of OKC is basically a death sentence. Phoenix has to be praying that "questionable" turns into "full go," or KD is going to have to channel his 2014 MVP form, or maybe even better.

Betting Picks & Predictions

The Thunder are massive 14-point favorites, which tells you everything you need to know about how dominant they are and how crucial Booker’s absence is. If D-Book is out, that line is probably still too low, but the fact that he's even questionable has already seen the spread shrink slightly. 

The suggested parlay is money, honestly. OKC is known for their fast starts and relentless defense, especially at home, and the Suns are going to be scrambling to fill the Booker-sized hole in their offense. KD can only do so much. A 14-point spread for the full game is massive, but the half-time bet is smart money because OKC hits the gas early. OKC will take a solid lead into the break, setting up a potential second-half blowout. Prediction: The parlay hits. Take the Thunder to be up by 4 points or more at the half (-120).