With the Oklahoma City Thunder Media Day behind us, the hype is starting to build on the young Western Conference contender. Last season, Oklahoma City games proved that they are not only ready to contend for an NBA championship right now, but that they will be a problem in the league for the foreseeable future. Our 2024-25 NBA betting preview will look at the Thunder’s over/under win total and see if their win total is worth taking for your best NBA bet today.
2024-25 NBA Betting Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder Win Total Odds
*All OKC Thunder odds are courtesy of FanDuel.com*
OKC Here to Stay
This is pure scoring… pic.twitter.com/EKpYK6wI5m
— Ball Don't Stop (@balldontstop) October 3, 2024
Last season, the Thunder were simply unbelievable. Led by their MVP candidate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Coach of the Year winner Mark Daigneault, they were a top-four offense and defense and had the second-best record in the NBA. They demolished their over/under win total of 44.5 by winning 57 games and defied expectations by reaching the Conference Semifinals for the first time since Kevin Durant left.
Not only did Gilgeous-Alexander establish himself as a perennial MVP candidate, but the other young Thunder stars showed why they could be a core to reckon with for a long time. Rookie of the Year runner-up Chet Holmgren averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in his debut season. Sophomore Jalen Williams improved upon an impressive rookie season by averaging 19.1 points and 4.5 assists last season. The young Thunder showed not only that they are good right now, but that they aren’t going anywhere.
Lu Dort was asked about playing with lineups that include defenders like Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace in training camp saying it’s been fun pic.twitter.com/iehqgkxnOu
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 3, 2024
Thunder Getting Stronger
After such a successful season, nobody would have blamed the Thunder front office for standing pat and running things back this season. Instead, they kept their key pieces while upgrading the Thunder roster with savvy off-season pickups.
The Thunder traded Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls this offseason and picked up defensive specialist Alex Caruso. Pairing Caruso with Holmgren, Lu Dort, and the rest of the hungry Thunder will likely produce another top NBA defense. The Thunder also signed Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year deal, further strengthening their defense and giving some size and support to Holmgren.
Current Thunder Odds and Trends
❝We're working on everything.❞
Watch the full media availability from today on Thunder YouTube 📲 https://t.co/nFCcgsOQ8P pic.twitter.com/ZVwDS8lzsj
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 2, 2024
The Thunder have exceeded expectations for three straight seasons. They went over their win total last season by 13 games, and the season before, they exceeded it by 17 games. This season, the Thunder over/under win total projects them for 56.5 wins, their highest projected win total since the Durant era. Oddsmakers have the over set at -115 and the under at -105.
Although 56.5 wins is the second-highest projected win total in the league, it is still one win less than the Thunder won last season. The Thunder have shown massive improvement in each of the last three seasons, and they don’t seem to be getting worse anytime soon.
Losing Giddey will certainly affect the Thunder’s playmaking options, but adding Hartenstein and Caruso makes their defense and depth much stronger. Optimist bettors will cite the likely improvement of Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams as reasons to take over. 56.5 wins for the Thunder. The Thunder certainly won’t surprise anyone this season, and 57 wins is a hard number to reach, but they have all the talent, coaching, and potential to eclipse their projected win total for a fourth straight season.
