Since the return of Russell Westbrook, the Thunder have looked even more unbeatable than usual. Now, Westbrook and Kevin Durant are together again, wreaking havoc on the rest of the league. The Thunder have lost just nine games on the road this season and are in the midst of a three-game winning streak. Phoenix is just 5-5 in their last 10 games played, which is why we like the Thunder as road chalk tonight.
Westbrook and Thunder at it once again
Thunder fans were ecstatic to see Russell Westbrook on the court again and it looks as though he has not even skipped a beat. Westbrook has been on a tear since his return and the Thunder are right back in the mix for the top spot in the West for the playoffs. Oklahoma City has absolutely dominated this series with the Suns of late, winning the previous 11 games overall. The Thunder defense has held opponents to under 100 points scored per game.
Phoenix hurting all over the court right now
The Suns are hurting pretty badly right now and it does not seem to be getting any better. Phoenix has been without star point guard Eric Bledsoe since the end of December and recently lost Leandro Barbosa to a fractured hand. Barbosa could miss six weeks of action. The Suns are also without Miles Plumlee, who is nursing a sprained right knee. In their last six games, the Suns have allowed an average of 110 points per game.
Despite these two teams having strong records so far this year, tonight’s contest is a bit of a miss-match due to the extraordinary season for the Thunder and the injuries to the Suns. Oklahoma City is 6.5-point road chalk at Bovada on Thursday night over Phoenix, which is why we will lay the line and drop 20 percent of our bankroll on the Thunder as they walk away with another road win tonight.
Chris Wassel
AA, AAS
CURRENTLY
Sports Writer and Journalist
RESIDES IN
Rahway, NJ
EDUCATION
Union County College, Montclair State University
EXPERTISE
Business, Writing, Sports, Food, Grilling, Olympics, Injuries, Politics, and more
Summary
Member of FSWA, FSGA, and a variety of Sports Betting Groups.
Lead arranger of news and injury reports for Rotoballer Hockey. Also did the news lead for NASCAR on the same site coming out of COVID.
Strategy and mapping out of various sports betting and sports articles for MyNHLTradeRumors and gambling.com.
Runs a hockey and fantasy hockey podcast that teaches fantasy hockey players how to improve their skills.
Experience
Chris Wassel has 20+ years of sports journalistic experience in various disciplines..
His ability to play sports is well documented. Most people in the business just write. However, Chris will race cars and even a super Moto bike from time to time. There is that fitness and hiking/cycling aspect too.
Chris has climbed mountains from Mount Washington to Mount San Jacinto in Palm Springs, California. For those that do not know. Chris also dabbles in food eating contests and challenges. Having a unique background with friends including Joey Chestnut and Casey Webb, Chris has the ability to eat a whole 16-pound turkey or a 32 inch meat lover's pizza.
Since 2013, Chris has primarily focused on sports writing and fitness. On social media, he will answer any question in many different aspects. Even Chris's ability to wager on Entertainment and US Elections is well documented. He was able to predict Joe Biden's inevitable dip in approval rating below 40%.
Throughout his career, Chris has worked at a lot of places from DraftKings to USA Today and much more.
Finally, Chris has been nominated for quite a few awards from the Fantasy Sports Writers Association for Hockey Writer Of The Year. Also, there have been a number of amazing fantasy hockey championships from expert to high-stake leagues.
Education
Chris received an Associates from Union Country College for business and accounting. Chris did sports journalism work at Montclair State University covering the hockey, baseball, and football teams.
Quote from Chris Wassel
"Do Not Think, Just Do.”
Education
1999 Graduate of Union County College
1993 Graduate of Rahway High School
Professional Achievements
Media credentialed member of the New Jersey Devils since 2010
Covered several NHL Drafts including the one day event in Newark in 2013
Been on countless podcasts, TV shows, and more including Sportsnet and even NHL Network