The Oklahoma City Thunder welcome the San Antonio Spurs in a Western Conference Semifinals Game matchup that pits the second-ranked offense against the first-ranked defense. Action starts at 8:30 pm ET on Thursday, May 12 and will air on ESP and C+D.
The Thunder come into this game on a high note after topping the Spurs 95-91 on Tuesday. Russell Westbrook played a key role, recording his 62nd double-double of the season with 35 points and 11 rebounds.
The game should be a battle of strength against strength, as the productive offense of Oklahoma City (second in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 110.4) takes on the elite defense of San Antonio (first in the league with a defensive efficiency of 97.2). Also, the elite offense of the Spurs ranks third in effective field goal percentage at 52.6%, while the Thunder are fifth-best in the league at forcing opponents’ misses (48.5%).
The Thunder come into this game 62-30 Straight Up (SU) and 42-47-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 62-30 SU and 42-47-3 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 109.7 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 is doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games. It is allowing an average of 90.7 points per game, well under their season average of 102.4. Oklahoma City’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the league, allowing just 7.0 three-pointers per game.
On the other side, the Spurs have a record of 49-42 ATS and 73-18 SU. In Western Conference games, San Antonio has gone 73-18 SU and 49-42 ATS. The Spurs convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking second in the league at .802. The Spurs are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, leading the NBA at 1.97. Shifting to the other side of the court, 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 597 this season.
With the Thunder’s last win against San Antonio, they evened up the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 5-5 SU. On the other hand, with a 7-3 record, the Thunder have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA
Notes
On average, San Antonio puts up 103.4 points per game (ranked 10th). Oklahoma City ranks 14th in points allowed per game with 102.4.
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 102.0 points on the road, while Oklahoma City gives up 98.8 points at home on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the San Antonio Spurs are an outstanding 62-8. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Oklahoma City Thunder have an abysmal record of 5-16.
When the San Antonio Spurs allow at least 100 points they are 11-10, while the Oklahoma City Thunder are 57-14 when they reach the century mark.
The Spurs have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA (109.1). The Thunder are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 103.5 (ranked seventh).
San Antonio has an average field goal percentage of 48.3%, second-ranked in the NBA. Oklahoma City is a winning 11-7 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Oklahoma City Thunder average 23.0 three point attempts per game, while the San Antonio Spurs attempt 18.0. When attempting 25 or more three pointers in a game, Oklahoma City has a solid record of 24-13, while San Antonio is an even 2-2.
San Antonio ranks at the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.97. Oklahoma City ranks 24th with an A/TO of 1.48.
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 43.5 per game.
Oklahoma City is ranked second in defensive rebounds, while San Antonio ranks 25th in offensive rebounds.
Though Oklahoma City is one of the best in the league in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TOV% of 12.3% (ranked eighth), San Antonio has an exceptional 40-10 record SU when its TOV% is 12.3% or greater.
