Oklahoma City Thunder took a huge step towards successfully defending their NBA crown when beating San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Game 5 and there is every chance they wrap the Western Conference finals up in the early hours of Friday.
Mark Daigenault seems to have found Victor Wembanyama's kryptonite and the reigning champions are a decent price to book a finals date with the New York Knicks by taking down the Spurs at the Frost Bank Center.
San Antonio Spurs v Oklahoma City Thunder Tips Summary
Best Bet - Oklahoma City Thunder to win @ 13/10
Alternative Bet - Over 218.5 points @ 10/11
Bet Builder - Chet Holmgren over 7.5 rebounds, Alex Caruso over 1.5 steals & Stephon Castle over 1.5 threes made @ 25/4
San Antonio Spurs v Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction
Best Bet: Oklahoma City Thunder to win @ 13/10
Given the Western Conference Finals started with the Frenchman putting up 41 points and 24 rebounds, this series was always going to come down to whether the Thunder could find a way to stop Wembanyama. The bad news for the Spurs? They have.
A combination of Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, as well as a bit of Alex Caruso, limited Wemby to just 20 points in Game 4 and, with his impact reduced, the Thunder have a clear run to the finals.
The San Antonio fans will create a great atmosphere, but that may not be enough to stop a team who have the experience advantage after last year's championship success.
Alternative Bet: Over 218.5 points @ 10/11
With the Spurs' 105.0 defensive rating being the second-best in the regular season and the sixth-placed Thunder not too far behind on 109.4, a low-scoring series was expected.
That has not come to pass, however, and just one of the first five games have produced fewer than 219 points.
The Spurs have to go for broke to save their season and that should lead to another shootout, so take the over.
San Antonio Spurs v Oklahoma City Thunder Bet Builder Tip
Chet Holmgren over 7.5 rebounds
Alex Caruso over 1.5 steals
Stephon Castle over 1.5 threes made
Pays 25/4
OKC's Holmgren has enjoyed a mixed series, but he is beginning to look back to something like his best and can grab at least eight rebounds for the third game in a row.
Another part of the Wemby-stopping trio should also make a big impact. Caruso is an excellent defender and, after making three steals in Game 5, he has now registered at least two in six of his last eight matches.
The hyper-focus on Wembanyama in Game 5 allowed Stephon Castle the space to knock down three of his five three-pointers and he should get plenty more open looks on Friday.
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Key Match Stats
The Spurs have lost won only five of their last nine home matches
The Thunder have won 14 of their last 17 on the road
OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 28.0 points per game in the playoffs, the most of any player on the three remaining teams
The Thunder's 118.4 offensive rating is the second-highest any team has achieved in the playoffs
The third-placed Spurs are only slightly behind on 115.4
San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama made a league-high 3.1 blocks per game in the regular season and leads in the playoffs with 3.7
Tactics, Form and Team News
For the Thunder, Ajay Mitchell is still struggling with a calf problem and will miss out alongside Thomas Sorber again.
Jalen Williams is still being nursed back from a hamstring issue and is listed as questionable.
Thunder starting five: PG Wallace, SG Gilgeous-Alexander, SF Dort, PF Holmgren, C Hartenstein.
The Spurs are again afforded the luxury of a clean bill of health.
Spurs starting five: PG Fox, SG Castle, SF Vassell, PF Champagnie, C Wembanyama.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
