The Oklahoma City Thunder and their second-ranked offense travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs and their first-ranked defense in Game of the Western Conference Semifinals. Action begins at 9:30 pm ET on Monday, May 2 and will air on TNT.
The Spurs come into this game on a high note after thoroughly outplaying the Thunder 124-92 on Saturday. LaMarcus Aldridge was the game’s high scorer with 38 points on 18-for-23 shooting.
This matchup pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as San Antonio currently ranks third in the NBA in offensive efficiency and Oklahoma City is fifth in defensive efficiency. Also, the Thunder’s second-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 110.6) will face off against the first-ranked defense of the Spurs (defensive efficiency of 96.8).
The Spurs enter the game with records of 72-15 Straight Up (SU) and 48-39 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 72-15 SU and 48-39 ATS against the Western Conference. The Spurs are a dangerously accurate shooting team from the line with a .803 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. No team in the league has a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than San Antonio, which tops the league at 1.97. San Antonio’s defense is doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 100.8 points per game, well above their season average of 92.3. San Antonio’s three-point defense can be considered for best in the league, allowing an NBA-low 566 three-pointers (6.0 per game).
Across the court, Oklahoma City has a SU record of 59-29 and an ATS record of 39-46-3. Oklahoma City has records of 59-29 SU and 39-46-3 ATS against the West. During the last 10 games, they averaged 101.9 PPG, below their 110.1 PPG season average. The Thunder are a force on the boards, grabbing a league-best 48.4 rebounds per game. Oklahoma City’s defense has allowed an average of 91.1 points per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 102.7. The Oklahoma City defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 8.0 field goals from three-point range per game.
San Antonio won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Thunder to 7-3 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA
Notes
The Thunder are a top-10 scoring team, averaging 110.1 points per game. San Antonio allows just 92.3 points per game, best in the league.
Oklahoma City puts up 111.1 points per away game this season. However, San Antonio is the top-ranked team in points allowed at home, giving up just 90.3 per game.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the San Antonio Spurs are a superb 61-6. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Oklahoma City Thunder have an abysmal record of 3-15.
San Antonio is 11-9 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Thunder have a superb 56-14 record when they hit the century mark.
The Spurs have the third-best offensive rating in the NBA (109.5). The Thunder are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 103.6 (ranked fifth).
With 94.8 possessions and 1.095 points per possession, the San Antonio Spurs perform worse on both metrics than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City averages 99.5 possessions and 1.106 points per possession.
The San Antonio Spurs have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking second in the league with an EFF% of 52.9%. The Oklahoma City Thunder have split their games 11-11 when opponents record a similar or higher EFF%.
The San Antonio Spurs, ranked third in the NBA, average 24.5 assists per game. The Oklahoma City Thunder make 22.9 assists (ranked 10th)
San Antonio ranks near the top of the league in blocking at second (6.1 blocks per game). Oklahoma City is ranked sixth, with 5.8 blocks per game.
The San Antonio Spurs rank 25th in offensive rebounding, while the Oklahoma City Thunder rank second in defensive rebounding.
On average, San Antonio makes 8.3 steals per game. Oklahoma City has a winning 36-20 record when it gives up at least 8 steals.
