The Thunder has one good shooting outing through 8 playoff games so far, and they’re due for another one. With the series all tied up at 2-2, dropping Game 5 with the series headed back to Denver for Game 6 would be devastating, so I think OKC comes out firing on all cylinders for the home crowd. I fully anticipate a double-digit victory.
Just like the outcome of the first two games had two very different results, there is no good idea of what to expect for Game 3. OKC appears to be re-focused and ready to play hard on both sides of the ball, but surely the Nuggets will not just roll over and accept defeat after a single loss. The battle continues, and while tonight’s meeting is not do-or-die for either team, it carries a lot of weight and certainly feels like whoever wins this one will almost surely win the series.
View More Oklahoma City Thunder | Western Conference Semifinals Game 3: Denver Nuggets
OKC bounced back in Game 2 with a dominating performance over the Nuggets, but I wouldn’t expect that to happen tonight in Game 3. I do expect the Thunder to come in with a lot of momentum and energy, but Denver will most assuredly have made some adjustments before playing in front of the home crowd. OKC knows the importance of taking at least one game on the road, and it would do them well to get ahead instead of falling behind. This game will be much closer than Wednesday’s outing, but the Thunder will emerge victorious, covering the spread, even if just barely.
View More Thunder Against the Spread | OKC a Narrow Road Favorite for Game 3 in Denver
After more than a week of rest, the Oklahoma City Thunder finally gets to play another playoff game as they kick off the Western Conference Semifinals at home on Monday night against the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets wrapped up their first-round series on Saturday night with a Game 7 victory over the LA Clippers, so they’re not quite as rested.
View More Oklahoma City Thunder | Western Conference Semifinals Game 1: Denver Nuggets
Now the Thunder faces the tall task of playing the LA Clippers in the second game of a back-to-back on the road. The Clippers have lost just 4 games since the start of December, picking up that fourth loss on Sunday night in Minnesota against the Timberwolves. They haven’t loss back-to-back games since doing so a month again when they lost to the Thunder in Oklahoma City before losing at home to the Boston Celtics.
View More Oklahoma City Thunder | Game #40 Preview: LA Clippers
Let’s be very clear: the spread is only as big as it is because OKC is playing in the second game of a road back-to-back while the Clippers are coming off a day of rest. The Clippers are probably the hottest team in the league right now, so it’s going to take a lot for the Thunder to stick around in this one. Whether or not Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (sprained left knee) is good to go will likely be the key factor in how competitive OKC can be in this one. Either way, I’m taking the Thunder to cover, but I don’t think they can pull out a win in this one.
View More Thunder Against the Spread | OKC Faces Tough Clippers Squad as Road Underdog in SEGABABA
The Clippers enter tonight’s matchup with as the league’s hottest team having won 9 straight, including a 120-11 victory over the Mavericks in Dallas last night. Because they are on the second game of a back-to-back, and OKC has fresh legs, I’m taking the Thunder to come away with a one-possession win, giving LA the close cover.
View More Thunder Against the Spread | Take Clippers to Cover But OKC to Win
Similar to the OKC, the Clippers had a rough return to play after the All-Star Break. Also similar to OKC, they are clicking at just the right time, as they have won 5 of their last 6. On paper, LA is the better team because of star power, but the Thunder plays hard enough to compete with any team on any given night. I don’t know if OKC can pull out a win on the road tonight, but I do think they keep it close enough to cover the spread.
View More Thunder Against the Spread | OKC Faces Tough Cover Against Clips in LA
The Thunder kicks off a 4-game West Coast road trip on Tuesday night as they take on the Los Angeles Clippers for the first of two meetings that will take place over the course of the next three days. The Clippers are currently 5th in the Western Conference standings with a 38-34 record, and OKC isn’t too far behind at 9th with a 35-36 record. With just 11 games remaining, the Thunder still has plenty of time to move up, but they also don’t have much room for losing.
View More OKC Thunder | Game #72 Preview: Los Angeles Clippers
The Thunder continues their current road trip Tuesday night as they take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Lebron James is just 25 points away from tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record, but James is listed as questionable tonight, so he may not play. Either way, OKC continues to be without Luguentz Dort, which hurts the Thunder defense in a major way.
View More OKC Thunder | Game #54 Preview: Los Angeles Lakers