The Golden State Warriors and their first-ranked offense travel to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder and their top-ranked defense in Game of the Western Conference Finals. The game begins at 8:00 pm ET on Sunday, May 22 and can be seen on TNT, #0 and C+D.
The Thunder lost big to the Warriors 118-91 on Wednesday. Despite the loss, Russell Westbrook earned his 65th double-double this season with 16 points and 12 assists.
This battle pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Oklahoma City currently ranks second in the NBA in offensive efficiency and Golden State is first in defensive efficiency. Also, the Warriors’s first-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 112.9) will face off against the fourth-ranked defense of the Thunder (defensive efficiency of 103.6).
The Thunder enter the game with records of 64-31 Straight Up (SU) and 44-48-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 64-31 SU and 44-48-3 ATS versus the Western Conference. The Thunder have no trouble scoring as they rank second in the league in offense with 109.5 points per game.
As for their opponent, the Warriors have 82-12 SU and 51-40-3 ATS records. In Western Conference games, Golden State has gone 82-12 SU and 51-40-3 ATS. Offensively, they average 114.7 points per game, which is first in the league. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Warriors. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.96. Switching gears to Golden State’s defense, the Warriors have the best opponent three-point field goal percentage in the league at .336. Golden State makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking third in points off turnovers with an average of 17.4 per game.
Golden State won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 7-3. The Warriors also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 5-4-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS
Notes
Golden State ranks first in points allowed per road game (106.6 PPG), while Oklahoma City ranks second in points per home game with 109.0.
In its last game, Golden State won by a 27-point margin. Oklahoma City is 22-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Golden State has a 26-3 record in blowouts.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Golden State Warriors are an outstanding 32-2. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a subpar record of 5-17.
The Warriors have a 50-10 record when they allow at least 100 points. The Thunder have also performed well when they register triple digits with a record of 59-14 in such contests.
The Warriors have the top-ranked offense this season, averaging 112.9 points per 100 possessions. The Thunder have one of the best defenses, allowing 103.6 points in the same number of possessions (ranked fourth).
The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the league with a FG% of 47.4%. The Golden State Warriors have a winning 10-4 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
The Oklahoma City Thunder average 23.0 three point attempts per game, and the Golden State Warriors attempt 31.0 per game. When going for at least 25 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Oklahoma City is 24-13 and Golden State is 74-11.
Golden State ranks near the top of the league in blocking at third (6.1 blocks per game). Oklahoma City is ranked sixth, with 5.8 blocks per game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder rank at the top of the league in offensive rebounding, but the Golden State Warriors are the best at defensive rebounding in the NBA.
Making 8.4 steals per game, Golden State is ranked ninth in the NBA. Oklahoma City has a solid 40-22 record when it gives up at least 8 steals.
