PointsBet Pays Out OKC Thunder Under 25.5 Wins With Holmgren Out for Season

• Thunder center Chet Holmgren will miss the entire 2022-23 season with ligament damage in his foot
• PointsBet Sportsbook announced it will pay out under bets on OKC’s win total
• See the full story below

From the moment he made his NBA Summer League  debut, Chet Holmgren’s stock had been rising. The #2-overall pick, who some worried didn’t have the strength to play at the NBA level yet, looked more-than-comfortable with OKC’s Summer League team.

His 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year odds immediately improved once bettors saw him in Summer League action. But just as quickly, his odds were taken off the board this morning. The Thunder announced on Thursday that the Gonzaga product will miss the entire 2022-23 season due to ligament damage in his foot.

Anyone who put money on the OKC Thunder going under 25.5 wins in the NBA win totals  was excited about the news. Anyone who made that particular bet at PointsBet Sportsbook found themselves instantly richer.

One of the top US sports betting sites announced via Twitter that it would payout under bets on OKC’s win total early.

EARLY PAYOUT 💰

With Chet Holmgren out for the season, PointsBet is paying out all bets on OKC Under 25.5 wins today pic.twitter.com/sPLzG0Hxbs

— Fanatics Sportsbook (@FanaticsBook) August 25, 2022

Could OKC Still Go Over 25.5 Wins?

Yes. This is a publicity effort by PointsBet, and likely a cost-effective one. PointsBet did not release details on how much it would be paying out on OKC’s under bets. But you can be sure it’s not going to threaten their bottom line, and they get “free” publicity as a result (case in point: this article).

OKC still has a legitimate chance to reach 26 wins.

The NBA will once again play an 82-game schedule this season. Back in 2020-21, OKC went 22-50 in a shortened 72-game season, which would have put them on pace for 25.1 wins in a full 82-game slate. They followed that up with a 24-58 record in 2021-22.

In order to go over 25.5 wins, they only need to win at a 31.7% clip. It’s a little higher than their past two seasons, but certainly attainable. And there are a couple factors that point to OKC improving, with or without Holmgren.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains the go-to guy in OKC. The fifth-year pro has upped his scoring average in each of his first four years (from 10.8 PPG as a rookie all the way to 24.5 PPG last season). “SGA” only managed to suit up for 56 games in 2021-22 due mostly to an ankle injury suffered in late January.  Second-leading scorer Luguentz Dort (17.1 PPG) managed just 51 games, while third-leading scorer Josh Giddey played 54.

Indeed, only one player on the team who averaged more than 10 PPG played in more than 60 games (Darius Bazley).

With better injury luck and another year of experience under everyone’s belts, there is ample reason to think the Thunder will take a modest step forward in 2022-23. And a modest step is all that’s required to hit 26 wins.