Monday evening’s Sport 1 between the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and San Antonio Spurs had what felt like the complete web reposting memes of Martin Scorsese’s arms up for “absolute cinema.” The double-overtime barnburner noticed the Spurs upset the Thunder for OKC’s first lack of the postseason, using a stat line from Victor Wembanyama that appears completely hyperbolic.
When the NBA playoffs started, this was the collection everybody circled, if it have been to materialize: the defending champion Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, with the league’s greatest regular-season report (64-18), dealing with the up-and-coming San Antonio Spurs, with the league’s second-best regular-season report (62-20).
Whereas this 12 months’s playoffs have featured some upsets and 4 Sport 7s, there haven’t been a ton of actually memorable moments.
Till this.
Oklahoma Metropolis remains to be favored to advance previous San Antonio at -115 odds on BetMGM, implying a 53.5 p.c probability of profitable. However that’s down from 70 p.c earlier than Sport 1. And now the Spurs are respiratory down their necks at -105 odds.
The Thunder are additionally nonetheless the favorites to win the NBA title, however not at minus-odds anymore (+125 in comparison with the Spurs +155).
Sport 2: San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder
TV: NBC/Peacock
Time: Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. ET
Sequence odds: Thunder -115, Spurs -105
We might not survive this collection if the remainder of it appears something like Sport 1. We might ascend to basketball heaven. The underdog Spurs held on by way of two overtimes to win it 122-115, and the recently-crowned league MVP had simply the (arguably) third- or fourth-best stat line of the sport.
On simply two days of relaxation, in comparison with OKC’s six, Wemby went bonkers for 49 minutes, scoring 41 factors, grabbing 24 rebounds and including three assists, three blocks and simply three turnovers. The subsequent-most factors within the recreation went to the Thunder’s Alex Caruso, with MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander clocking 24 on 7-of-23 capturing. SGA added 12 assists.
The hard-fought win additionally handed the title favorites their first L of the postseason.
However San Antonio can’t bask within the glow of their Sport 1 steal too lengthy: The Thunder are once more favored by 6.5 factors in Sport 2. That’s a mid-sized margin, and the very same level unfold from Sport 1 — although a lot smaller than the common double-digit spreads the Thunder have been giving all through the primary two rounds of the playoffs.
Regardless of the win, San Antonio has loads to lock up for Sport 2. They’d 21 turnovers in a recreation that was at instances sloppy — however thrilling — on each side. Stephon Fortress had 11 assists, however the identical variety of turnovers.
A key will likely be whether or not they can get De’Aaron Fox again for Sport 2. The 28-year-old Fox is a veteran on this younger squad, and has averaged 18.8 factors, 3.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists this postseason, enjoying injured during the last three video games of the convention semifinals towards Minnesota.
OKC, in the meantime, wants one other main evening from Caruso, who did almost every little thing doable to do towards a drive like Wembanyama, and they’ll want extra from Gilgeous-Alexander. He regarded unusually uncomfortable in Sport 1 with the Spurs throwing every little thing within the playbook at him.
Will the Thunder even it up in Sport 2?