NBA Picks & Predictions: Thunder vs. Spurs (Friday)
The Western Conference Finals move to San Antonio after the Spurs stole a game in Oklahoma City. The Thunder will look to regain home-court advantage in a crucial Game 3. Let's take a deeper look at the matchup and go over our top NBA picks.
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Friday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs
The key question heading into this game is the availability of Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox. He has missed the first two games of this series, but with Dylan Harper also questionable, Fox's presence will be necessary. Although Harper stepped up early in this series, Fox is averaging 18.6 points and 6.2 assists per game on 48.6% shooting and will help to force Oklahoma City turnovers.
The Thunder could be without Jalen Williams again after he aggravated his hamstring injury. Although the Thunder have had bench players like Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain step up, relying so heavily on them in the playoffs is a losing formula.
The Thunder will try to replicate the success they had with Williams off the floor in Game 2, but doing so in front of a raucous San Antonio crowd will be difficult.
The Spurs have had their home duds this playoffs, but when they win at home, it's usually emphatic. In their four home wins, they compiled a 4-0 record against the spread (ATS) and have covered by an average of nearly 14 points. As good as the offense has looked in those matchups, it's the defense that has been the calling card.
The Spurs have allowed just 99.2 points per game (PPG) at home during this postseason run. In wins, that number drops to 96.3 PPG. The presence of Victor Wembanyama makes scoring in the paint difficult, and the Thunder needed some above-average three-point shooting in the first two games of the series to pull off their solid offensive performances.
This series has featured some well-executed offense despite both teams being among the best defensive teams in the league. In Game 3 we should start to see things slow down a bit and the defenses take center stage. I like the Spurs to ride their strong home defense to another home win and cover, taking a critical 2-1 series lead.
Picks: Under 217.5 Points (-112) & Spurs -1.5 (-110)