The second-ranked offense of the Oklahoma City Thunder (60-29) welcomes the first-ranked defense of the San Antonio Spurs (72-16) in Game of the Western Conference Semifinals. The game starts at 9:30 pm ET on Friday, May 6 and will air on ESP and C+D.
The Thunder enter this game hoping for similar success after just getting past the Spurs 98-97 on Monday. Russell Westbrook played a key role, recording his 60th double-double this season with 29 points and 10 assists.
This matchup 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 San Antonio is first in defensive efficiency. Also, the sweet-shooting offense of the Spurs ranks second in effective field goal percentage at 52.8%, while the Thunder are fifth-best in the league at forcing opponents’ misses (48.5%).
The Thunder enter the game with records of 60-29 Straight Up (SU) and 40-46-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 60-29 SU and 40-46-3 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. Below average play has been the norm lately for the Thunder. In the last 10 games, Oklahoma City has only averaged 101.5 points per game compared to the 110.0 they’ve averaged on the season. The rebounding edge goes to the Thunder in this matchup, who average a league-best 48.4 rebounds per game. Oklahoma City’s defense has been on fire lately, allowing an average of 89.7 points per game, well under their season average of 102.6. The Thunder have limited opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing 8.0 three-pointers made per game.
Across the court, San Antonio has a SU record of 72-16 and an ATS record of 48-40. San Antonio has records of 72-16 SU and 48-40 ATS against the West. The Spurs convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking second in the league at .803. The Spurs rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.97. Moving on to San Antonio’s defense, teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Spurs, who are the top team in the league in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 571 this season.
The Thunder’s win over San Antonio in their last game wasn’t enough for them to overtake the Spurs in the recent head-to-head series. Their record is now 4-6 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. With a 6-4 record, the Thunder have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA
Notes
San Antonio ranks 10th in points per game with 103.7, while Oklahoma City ranks 14th in points allowed with an average of 102.6 given up.
San Antonio puts up an average of 102.1 points per away game (ranked ninth). Oklahoma City ranks 10th in points allowed per home game with 98.8.
The Thunder have a 31-6 record when they allow fewer than 100 points. The Spurs, however, have performed well when they don’t hit triple digits, with a record of 20-13 in such contests.
When the Oklahoma City Thunder allow at least 100 points they are 29-23, while the San Antonio Spurs are 52-3 when they register triple digits.
The Spurs have the best defense in the NBA, with a defensive rating of 96.9. The Thunder’s offense ranks a solid second, with an offensive rating of 110.5.
On average, Oklahoma City has 99.5 possessions per game and scores 1.105 points on each possession. San Antonio has both fewer possessions (94.9) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.093).
The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with an EFF% of 52.4%. The San Antonio Spurs have split their games 8-8 when opponents record a similar or higher EFF%.
San Antonio ranks near the top of the league in assists at fourth (24.5 assists per game). Oklahoma City is ranked 11th, with 22.8 assists per game.
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.
Oklahoma City is the top-ranked team in terms of offensive rebounds. On the other side, San Antonio is a very strong team when it comes to defensive rebounding, ranked sixth.
The San Antonio Spurs rank 10th in steals, with an average of 8.3 per game. When the Oklahoma City Thunder allow at least 8 steals, they have a solid 37-20 record.
