Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New York Knicks Preview, Picks, & Best Bets (3/4/26)

The Oklahoma City Thunder travel to face the New York Knicks at 7 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell remain sidelined for the Thunder, while Miles McBride is also out for New York. 

Keep reading for Thunder vs. Knicks best bets, and click any odds below to place a bet. For more sportsbook promos, we highly recommend checking out the best sports betting sites. Also check out our daily NBA betting trends for data, odds and insights!

Thunder vs. Knicks Odds

Thunder vs. Knicks Best Bets & Picks

The best bet in this matchup is taking Oklahoma City to cover the spread up to five points. 

Thunder -3.5 (115 DraftKings)

Cason Wallace, Luguentz Dort and Alex Caruso are a formidable defensive trio that can slow down Jalen Brunson’s scoring, while Chet Holmgren is capable of moving on the perimeter and contesting Karl-Anthony Towns’ outside shooting. It will be difficult for New York’s best offensive weapons to have great games. 

On the other side, Oklahoma City’s rim pressure may be too much for the Knicks to handle when Mitchell Robinson rests (which is more than half the game). The Thunder’s offense also loves to hunt mismatches, and Brunson and Towns are exploitable when dragged into the primary action. Look for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to have a monstrous scoring night. 

Overall, New York has matchup and roster issues that do not bode well against the reigning champs. 

Thunder vs. Knicks Preview & Breakdown

Oklahoma City has won six of seven games since the All-Star break despite being shorthanded and facing quality opponents. The reigning champs are finally close to full strength, as Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell are close to returning. 

They will need to be healthy down the stretch because San Antonio is making a push for the one seed. How important is home-court advantage for Oklahoma City? During the Thunder’s championship run, they went 11-2 with a 20 net rating at home compared to 5-5 with a -6.2 net rating on the road, per NBA.com

Meanwhile, New York’s first game after the All-Star break was a devastating loss to Detroit sans Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart. The Pistons are undefeated against the Knicks this season, which is concerning for New York’s NBA Finals hopes. 

On the bright side, they recently notched an impressive win against San Antonio. Karl-Anthony Towns is also shooting 58.8% from the field and 52.1% from deep since the All-Star break. 

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Post
Braxton has been covering the NBA for Lineups since the 2022 season. He's worked with multiple collegiate coaching staffs regarding analytics and scouting, which has allowed him to understand the game on a deeper level. Braxton also currently writes about the Oklahoma City Thunder for Thunder Roundtable.

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