It’s only right that we get to see these two powerhouse teams—the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs—collide in the second round after a pretty lame start to this year’s playoffs. Game 1 is set to commence at the AT&T Center this Saturday night, and you can expect all hell to break loose. Who will be the one to deliver the first blow?
Read on below for a better look at this Western Conference showdown. And if you’re up for some postseason action over in the NHL, click here to see our preview of Game 2 between the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Thunder vs. Spurs — Game One Round Two Preview
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
When: Saturday, April 30, 2016, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma City Thunder (+6.5) vs. San Antonio Spurs (-6.5); total: 201.0 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Those two will ultimately dictate Oklahoma City’s fate in this best-of-seven series with the Spurs.
Westbrook, on the other hand, should be able to keep his momentum going. He has the clear advantage in terms of quickness against Tony Parker or Danny Green, and also has enough explosiveness to penetrate and score over the outstretched arms of Tim Duncan or LaMarcus Aldridge. Westbrook is posting 26.0 points, 7.2 boards and 11.2 dimes this postseason.
But no matter how incredible Durant and Westbrook have been playing, the Thunder still need their role players to provide the support. And speaking of which, Serge Ibaka’s performance will also serve as a big factor for the team’s success.
Ibaka’s numbers have been superb in the opening round. He’s shooting 64.1% from the field and has nailed eight of his 13 three-point attempts. Well, Ibaka’s bound to get slowed down by the Spurs defense eventually, but even so, his presence down low gives OKC some much-needed muscle.
Defense, however, is still a major concern for the Thunder. They really need to step their game up here, and disrupt San Antonio’s offensive flow. If not, don’t expect them to win Game 1 or even the entire series itself.
OKC, which is allowing 106.1 points on the road this season, is 3-7 SU (5-5 ATS) in its previous 10 games at the AT&T Center. The Thunder are also priced at +425 to win the West.
Betting on the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio barely had any trouble getting past the first round against a short-handed Grizzlies team. But finally, this second-round series against the Thunder is where the Spurs are finally going to be tested, and the entire basketball world better buckle up for one hell of a finish in tonight’s opener.
Defense, defense and more defense will continue to be the Spurs’ strongest weapon. They’ll be faced with an extremely difficult task of limiting two of the best scorers in the league today: Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. If San Antonio, which averaged just 81.0 points allowed per contest during the series with Memphis, manages to keep both stars below their usual numbers, it wouldn’t be surprising see them take Game 1.
On offense, meanwhile, expect the pair of Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge to lead the charge for San Antonio. Both players are racking up 21.5 and 14.5 points, respectively, this postseason.
Leonard, in particular, has been doing it at both ends of the floor. Other than scoring, he holds team-bests in steals (2.8) and blocks (2.8). It’ll be interesting to see on how he’ll be able to remain this efficient while constantly hounding the Durant on defense. Leonard is tallying 17.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 dimes and 2.5 steals across 14 career games opposite OKC.
Of course, Tony Parker can still provide some trouble for the Thunder even though his averages took a major dip. Parker is contributing 11.9 points and 5.3 assists this season. He also put up 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting during their regular-season finale against OKC.
San Antonio is 19-1 SU (9-11 ATS) in its past 20 home games. The Spurs are also priced at +140 two win the conference title.
Writer’s Prediction
Spurs (-6.5) win, 105-95.
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