The Oklahoma City Thunder and their second-ranked offense welcome the San Antonio Spurs and their first-ranked defense in Game of the Western Conference Semifinals. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Sunday, May 8 and can be seen on TNT and C+D.
The Thunder fell to the Spurs 100-96 on Friday. Russell Westbrook finished with 31 points to lead the team.
This showdown 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 third in effective field goal percentage at 52.7%, while the Thunder are fifth-best in the league at forcing opponents’ misses (48.6%).
The Thunder come into this game 60-30 Straight Up (SU) and 40-47-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 60-30 SU and 40-47-3 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Thunder have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 101.7 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 109.8 points per game. The rebounding edge goes to the Thunder in this matchup, who average a league-best 48.3 rebounds per game. Oklahoma City’s defense has been shutting down opposing offenses over the past 10 games, only allowing an average of 89.1 points per game, well under their season average of 102.6. Oklahoma City’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the league, allowing just 8.0 three-pointers per game.
On the other side, San Antonio has a SU record of 73-16 and an ATS record of 49-40. In Western Conference games, San Antonio has gone 73-16 SU and 49-40 ATS. The Spurs are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .801 free throw percentage that ranks second in the NBA. The Spurs rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.97. The San Antonio defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 581 field goals from three-point range to its opponents (6.0 per game).
San Antonio won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 6-4. On the other hand, 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 103.6, while Oklahoma City ranks 14th in points allowed with an average of 102.6 given up.
San Antonio and Oklahoma City are well matched, ranking 10th in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. San Antonio scores an average of 102.1 points on the road, while Oklahoma City gives up 98.8 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Spurs are 62-7 on the season. When the Thunder score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 4-16.
When the San Antonio Spurs allow at least 100 points they are 11-9, while the Oklahoma City Thunder are 56-14 when they reach the century mark.
The Spurs have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA (109.2). The Thunder are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 103.6 (ranked seventh).
Oklahoma City is ranked third in the NBA with an average field goal percentage of 47.5%. San Antonio is an even 9-9 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Oklahoma City attempts 23.0 three pointers and San Antonio attempts 18.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Thunder have a winning 24-13 record while the Spurs are even at 2-2.
The San Antonio Spurs top the league in assist to turnover ratio this season with an A/TO of 1.97. The Oklahoma City Thunder have an A/TO of 1.49 (ranked 24th).
Oklahoma City is the best rebounding team in the NBA this season with 48.3 per game. On the other side, San Antonio is in the top half of the league, ranking 14th with 43.7 per game.
The San Antonio Spurs rank 25th in offensive rebounding, while the Oklahoma City Thunder rank second in defensive rebounding.
Though Oklahoma City is one of the best in the league in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TOV% of 12.4% (ranked eighth), San Antonio has a dazzling 38-8 record SU when its TOV% is 12.4% or greater.
