So it apparently was way too early to worry about the record-setting Golden State Warriors after being surprised at home in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Some statistical sites then made OKC the series favorite. That has all changed in the wake of the Warriors’ Game 2 blowout win and they are favored on online sportsbook odds to win Game 3 on Sunday in OKC. What’s with the three-day layoff before Game 3!
How to Bet on Golden State at Oklahoma City NBA Playoffs Lines Game 3 & TV Info
When: Sunday, May 22, 8 PM ET
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City
TV: TNT
Stream: NBA.com
NBA Odds: Warriors -3 (220)
Warriors at Thunder Historic Betting Trends
Golden State won Game 2 on Wednesday, 118-91 to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time all season — no other team has ever avoided consecutive losses in a season. NBA MVP Steph scored 28 points, making 5 of 8 3-pointers and shooting 9-for-15 overall, while Klay Thompson added 15 points in a balanced performance by the defending champions to bounce back from just their third home defeat all season.
Curry had a third quarter for the ages to blow the game open. He finished with 17 points in the quarter, including an incredible 15 straight. Before that happened, the Warriors had been leading by 10. In under two minutes, they were running with a 20-point blowout. Curry snapped a scoring drought of 16 minutes, 57 seconds by scoring 12 points in 82 seconds. Over a span of just over four-and-a-half minutes, he went 5-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and outscored Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant 17-2.
The Thunder played a great first half until the final minute. On a Dion Waiters corner 3-pointer, they took the lead 47-46, but it lasted only 12 seconds. After that, the Warriors unleashed an 11-2 run featuring an crazy and-one by Andre Iguodala that started the onslaught. In Game 1, the Thunder outscored the Warriors 61-42 in the second half. In Game 2, the Warriors outscored the Thunder by that exact same score after intermission.
In addition, areas in which the Thunder were so good in Game 1, especially in the second half — turnovers and rebounding, namely — cost them in Game 2. They gave the ball away 16 times, with Durant responsible for half of those. The Warriors outrebounded the Thunder 45-36, with 13 coming on the offensive end.
The biggest adjustment that the Warriors made in guarding Westbrook was shifting Thompson onto him. Thompson guarded Westbrook on only two of 21 shot attempts in Game 1. In Game 2, Westbrook was 2-of-8 against him. Durant finished with 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting, but he had eight turnovers. Westbrook had 16 points and 12 assists but shot just 5-of-14.
Golden State has held the great Thunder offense to an efficiency rate 10 points per 100 possessions below their regular-season standard through two games of the Western Conference finals. In Games 1 and 2, Durant’s shot quality has been his sixth- and 21st-worst of the year, and Westbrook has been limited to his 31st and 24th-worst games. The duo’s effective field goal percentage in the series is just 43 percent, far below their combined regular-season mark of 53 percent. The Warriors are bracketing Durant everywhere, especially against the Thunder’s starting five, as they have elected to ignore Andre Roberson completely because Roberson has no outside shot
Expert Betting Prediction
The last time the Thunder got blown out, it was Game 1 of the West semifinals and they came back to win Game 2. I’ll take the points on sportsbook odds here and go under the total again. It has easily gone under in both games.
