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Game of the Day: Spurs at Thunder
By Covers.com

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder (-2, 208.5)

Spurs lead series 2-0.

San Antonio dominated the first two games of the Western Conference finals and Oklahoma City strives to record a breakthrough victory when the Thunder host the Spurs on Sunday. San Antonio won two home games by an average of 26 points, including a 35-point victory in Game 2 that left the Thunder shell-shocked. Oklahoma City also dug itself a 0-2 hole in the 2012 conference finals against the Spurs before rallying to win the next four games.

The Thunder have upgraded power forward Serge Ibaka (calf) from out to day-to-day and general manager Sam Presti cautioned that the announcement doesn’t mean Ibaka is playing in Game 3. “I think it’s important, when you look at this, to recognize that we’re not saying that he’s playing but what we’re really trying to indicate is that the information is telling us that we can’t rule him out,” Presti told reporters on Friday. San Antonio has thrived in the interior with 120 points in the paint over the first two games and has also made nine 3-pointers in each contest.

LINE HISTORY: The line open at the Thunder -2.5, but quickly got bet down to -2 with the total jumping slightly from a 208 opening to 208.5.

INJURY REPORT: Thunder - S. Ibaka (Questionable/Calf)

WHAT BOOKS SAY: "The line has moved twice in San Antonio’s favor since opening. The Spurs have gone from +3 to +2 (-115). Bettors are still backing the Spurs with 69 percent of bets on San Antonio." - Mike Perry, Sportsbook.ag

WHAT SHARPS SAYS: "It will be interesting to see how the extended three day layoff affects both teams in Game 3. The Thunder have played five of their past six games on the road, so they will be happy to return home. They lost the first two games in the 2012 Western Conference Finals at San Antonio and then rebounded to win the next four in a row. However, things are a bit different now as the Thunder only lost those two games by three and nine points in 2012, compared to 17 and 35 point defeats this year. Plus, the Thunder have been playing without Serge Ibaka which leaves a major defensive gap in the middle." - Covers Experts' Steve Merril

ABOUT THE SPURS: The veteran club isn't willing to rest on its laurels despite the consecutive routs. Power forward Tim Duncan and guard Manu Ginobili both referenced the collapse of two years ago in their respective sessions with reporters on Friday. “We cannot take anything for granted,” Ginobili said. “We had a great start and ended up losing the series. We are playing a team that is so talented and has so many way of scoring – it is never over until you win the fourth game. We know that and most of us were on that team.”

ABOUT THE THUNDER: Earlier this week, Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks made it clear Ibaka wasn't going to return during the series but the situation quickly changed with the Thunder landing in a dire situation. Oklahoma City went 4-0 against the Spurs in the regular season but has been caught in a severe mismatch against Duncan without Ibaka’s presence. “He’s still out,” Brooks told reporters. “We’re still focusing on trying to beat the Spurs without him playing, and that has not changed. I know he’s listed as day-to-day but, still, he is out until I’m told differently. All of our attentions and game planning is to focus on ways to play much better than we did last game.”

TRENDS:

*Spurs are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
*Under is 6-2 in Thunder last 8 games following a SU loss of more than 10 points.
*Home team is 8-2-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
*Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Oklahoma City.

COVERS CONSENSUS: 52 percent of bettors are taking the Thunder -2 with the bulk of the total on the over.

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Game 3 - Spurs at Thunder
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com

The favorites are starting to come around in the conference finals with three straight victories and covers following Miami’s blowout of Indiana on Saturday night. The Spurs routed the Thunder in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals at home as the series shifts to Oklahoma City for a pivotal Game 3 with the Thunder in desperate need of a win.

San Antonio opened things up in the third quarter of a back-and-forth Game 1 to capture the series opener, 122-105 to cash as six-point favorites. However, the Spurs put away the Thunder in Game 2 by halftime in a 112-77 thrashing to take a 2-0 series edge. In Game 2, San Antonio outscored Oklahoma City, 34-18 in the second quarter to grab a 14-point halftime lead, then limited the Thunder to just 33 points in the second half for their seventh straight win at the AT&T Center.

The number one thing to point to for OKC’s 2-0 series hole is the absence of forward Serge Ibaka, who missed the first two games with a calf injury and is questionable for the remainder of the series. The Spurs are scoring at will in the paint, putting up 66 points in the series opener and 54 in Game 2. Danny Green lit up the Thunder for seven three-pointers in Game 2, while the Thunder converted just 2-of-20 shots from downtown on Wednesday night.

The Thunder beat the Spurs four times in the regular season and will look for some sort of magic heading back to Chesapeake Energy Arena for the next two games to save their season. OKC owns a 4-3 SU and 3-4 ATS record at home in the playoffs, while allowing at least 100 points in each of the last six home contests (two games went to overtime). The Spurs have lost seven straight visits to Oklahoma City, while failing to cover each time, all in the role of an underdog. The last time Gregg Popovich’s team won on the road in this series came on March 16, 2012.

Many fans will remember the last time the Thunder trailed the Spurs, 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals and it came in 2012. Oklahoma City stormed back to win four straight games and eliminate San Antonio before falling to Miami in five games of the NBA Finals. How rare was it that San Antonio lost a game much less a series when taking a 2-0 edge? Since 2012, the Spurs have grabbed a 2-0 series lead six times and won Game 3 five times. The lone loss came in Game 3 at Oklahoma City, 102-82 as four-point underdogs.

VegasInsider.com’s Chris David points to the fact the Spurs haven’t been great in the underdog role this season, “I was a little surprised to see San Antonio listed as an underdog in Game 3 due to the outcomes in the first two games and the fact that the Spurs have been receiving a ton of public action in the playoffs. However, it’s very apparent that the oddsmakers know how to gauge San Antonio this season. The Spurs have been underdogs 11 times, once in the playoffs, and they’ve produced a pedestrian 6-5 record in this role. You should make a note that two of those five losses came against the Thunder.”

David shines a light on San Antonio’s offensive struggles when it hits the road against its rival, “Oklahoma City should be confident in Game 3 based on its head-to-head history at home against San Antonio. Including the two wins this regular season, the Thunder have won seven straight meetings versus the Spurs from Chesapeake Energy Arena. What’s even more impressive during this run is that the Spurs have been held under 100 six times and under 90 three times. For whatever reason, the San Antonio offense hasn’t found a way to click at this venue.”

Obviously, the Thunder needs to get major production from its two stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who combined to shoot just 13-of-40 from the floor for 30 points in Game 2. In the last meeting at Chesapeake Energy Arena in early April, Durant and Westbrook put up 55 points between them as the Thunder snapped San Antonio’s 19-game winning streak, 106-94 as three-point favorites.

From the totals standpoint, David mentions that the number slightly dropping after OKC’s struggles on Wednesday, “Total bettors are starting a number hovering around 208 points for Game 3, which is a tad lower than the first two games (209, 210) in this series. OKC looked dreadful offensively in Game 2 and it’s rare to see this club have poor offensive numbers in back-to-back games. In their seven home playoff games, the Thunder have scored 100-plus in six of them and 99 in the other. Rather than look at the ‘over’ for the game, I believe ‘over’ in Oklahoma City’s team total has tremendous value, which is 105½ points.”

The Thunder opened as 2½-point favorites, with the number dropping to two at several books. The game tips off at 8:30 PM EST and can be seen on TNT.

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Game of the Day: Pacers at Heat
By Covers.com

Indiana Heat at Miami Heat (-6.5, 183.5)

Heat lead series 2-1

The Miami Heat placed the on-off switch firmly in the “on” position to take control of the Eastern Conference finals. The Heat will try to keep their energy at that level and earn a commanding 3-1 lead in the series when they host the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 on Monday. The Pacers have appeared to be the dominant team in the series for long stretches in each game but failed to put together the necessary run in the fourth quarter of the last two contests.

The Pacers raced out to a 17-4 lead in the first quarter and were up 15 early in the second in Game 3 before letting Miami up off the mat. “You can’t play around with this team,” Indiana forward Paul George told reporters of the Heat. “I thought we got comfortable at one point early in the game, you know, just being up early. This game is all about runs, and ultimately the team that makes the biggest run or the last run is the team that’s going to win.” That team was Miami with a 12-2 fourth-quarter run to spark Game 2’s 87-83 win and then a 61-45 advantage over Indiana in the second half of Game 3.

LINE HISTORY: Line opened at the Heat -6.5 with a total of 183.5.

INJURY REPORT: Pacers - C A. Bynum (Out/Knee)

WHAT BOOKS SAY: "Have the Heat cracked the code to the one of the top defenses in the League? The second half of Game 3 seemed to support that with the Heat outscoring the Pacers 61-45. The Heat are now 6-0 SU at home in these playoffs. The Heat are 6.5 point favorites and are seeing 70% of the action at that number so far." - Michael Stewart of Carbonssports.ag

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "It will be interesting to see how the Pacers respond after blowing a 15-point lead in Game 3 versus the Heat and being outscored by 27 points the rest of the game from that point on. Indiana is still 5-1 SU after a straight-up loss in the playoffs this season, but they're 0-1 so far in that situation versus the Heat in this series." Covers Experts' Steve Merril

ABOUT THE HEAT: Miami got a big boost in the fourth quarter of Game 3 from Ray Allen, who hit four 3-pointers in the period and finished with 16 points. “That’s kind of like my territory,” Allen told reporters. “The flow of the game doesn’t come in my direction early in the game. … But in the fourth quarter, if a guy is guarding me and just thinks I’m here biding time, I’m not. I’m just trying to figure out how I can have an impact.” Allen’s strong game came as a compliment to another solid performance from James, who is averaging 24.3 points on 58 percent shooting in the series.

ABOUT THE PACERS: The concern prior to Game 3 was the health of George, who had to pass concussion protocols before being cleared to play. George never found much of a rhythm offensively while being guarded primarily by LeBron James but still managed to lead the team in scoring with 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting. George was also one of several players dealing with foul trouble. “We didn’t manage our foul trouble well and didn’t manage (the Heat) picking up their defensive intensity well,” coach Frank Vogel told reporters. “I though we attacked appropriately but didn’t finish plays, and obviously turned it over a little too much and let them get going.”

TRENDS:

*Pacers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games following a ATS loss.
*Over is 11-5 in Heat last 16 Conference Finals games.
*Over is 7-2 in the last 9 meetings in Miami.
*Home team is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings.

COVERS CONSENSUS: 51 percent of bettors are taking the Pacers +6.5.

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Game of the Day: Spurs at Thunder
By Covers.com

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder (-2.5, 207.5)

The Oklahoma City Thunder received a lift from Serge Ibaka and will attempt to even the Western Conference when they host the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 on Tuesday. San Antonio won the first two games by an average of 26 points but Ibaka returned from a calf injury and his presence negated the Spurs’ inside advantage and helped the Thunder to a 106-97 win on Sunday. Ibaka was previously ruled out of the series by coach Scott Brooks before his Game 3 starring role.

San Antonio players claim Sunday’s loss was more about their performance than Ibaka’s return and will certainly have the opportunity to show that is indeed the case with a better Game 4 performance. “We understand that if we don’t bring our ‘A’ game, we don’t play our best game, we’re not going to win here,” guard Manu Ginobili told reporters prior to Monday’s practice. “Hopefully that lesson was learned.” League MVP Kevin Durant is averaging just 22.7 points after putting up 33.2 in Oklahoma City’s six-game series win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round.

LINE HISTORY: Books opened the Thunder as 2.5-point home faves with the total opening 207.5.

INJURY REPORT: No injuries to report.

WHAT THE BOOKS SAY: "With the surprising return of Serge Ibaka, could the momentum fully swing in the favor of the Thunder? We are seeing the majority of the action (77 percent) on the Thunder at -2.5." Michael Stewart, CarbonSports.ag.

WHAT THE SHARPS SAY: "It seems that most bettors have fallen in love with the Thunder again now that Serge Ibaka is back in the fold. It's hard not to get on board with that line of thinking, as OKC has proven time and time again that it can hang with San Antonio, provided it is at full strength - and that will be the case here. I do believe this is still going to be a long series, with more twists and turns to come. Thunder at -2.5 is a fair line, but I think we'll undoubtedly see it rise to -3 or -3.5 by the time this game tips off on Tuesday night. To put it simply, this isn't quite as strong of a spot for OKC as we saw in Game 3, but it's by no means an ideal situation to back the Spurs either." Covers Expert Sean Murphy.

ABOUT THE SPURS: Tony Parker had a subpar Game 3 with just nine points on 4-of-13 shooting and expressed during Monday’s media availability session that he must perform significantly better. The veteran point guard also had the same number of assists as turnovers – four – after averaging 18 points, 8.5 assists and 2.5 turnovers in the first two games. “He’s our best player,” coach Gregg Popovich told reporters on Monday. “He’s got to play better.” Backcourt mate Danny Green also had a poor outing with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range. Green averaged 18.5 points on 13-of-18 shooting (11-of-15 from behind the arc) in the first two games.

ABOUT THE THUNDER: Ibaka was the missing link to a frontcourt that struggled without him in the first two games. Veteran Nick Collison and rookie Steven Adams were nonfactors while filling in and Ibaka excelled on the offensive end in Game 3 with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting while doing his customary good work on the defensive end with four blocked shots to go with seven rebounds. “When you talk about a teammate, that’s everything you want in a teammate,” Durant told reporters in response to Ibaka’s unexpected return. “I gained so much more respect for Serge for sacrificing himself for the team.”

TRENDS:

* Under is 5-0 in the last five meetings in Oklahoma City.
* Home team is 12-3-1 ATS in the last 16 meetings.
* Spurs are 0-8 ATS in the last eight meetings in Oklahoma City.
* Under is 5-1 in Thunder last six overall.

COVERS CONSENSUS: Fifty-six percent of Covers Consensus wagers are coming in on the Thunder -2.5.

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NBA Playoffs

Oklahoma City got big man Ibaka back in Game 3, Spurs shot 39.6% in a Thunder win; OC has now won 11 of last 15 games with San Antonio, is 8-0 in last eight series games played here. Thunder was +16 on boards in Game 3; Spurs are 28-67 from arc in series, +11 in turnovers. Eight of last eleven series games stayed under total. Thunder is 5-3 at home in playoffs. Spurs are 4-3 on road in playoffs. One guy makes a difference; Spurs shot 58%/50% in first two series games. Home team covered six of seven games in this round of playoffs so far.

Over is 46-33 in playoffs this season, 4-3 in this round..
Favorites are 30-49 in playoffs this season, 6-1 in this round.

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Game of the Day: Spurs at Thunder
By Covers.com

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder (-2.5, 207.5)

The Oklahoma City Thunder received a lift from Serge Ibaka and will attempt to even the Western Conference when they host the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 on Tuesday. San Antonio won the first two games by an average of 26 points but Ibaka returned from a calf injury and his presence negated the Spurs’ inside advantage and helped the Thunder to a 106-97 win on Sunday. Ibaka was previously ruled out of the series by coach Scott Brooks before his Game 3 starring role.

San Antonio players claim Sunday’s loss was more about their performance than Ibaka’s return and will certainly have the opportunity to show that is indeed the case with a better Game 4 performance. “We understand that if we don’t bring our ‘A’ game, we don’t play our best game, we’re not going to win here,” guard Manu Ginobili told reporters prior to Monday’s practice. “Hopefully that lesson was learned.” League MVP Kevin Durant is averaging just 22.7 points after putting up 33.2 in Oklahoma City’s six-game series win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round.

LINE HISTORY: Books opened the Thunder as 2.5-point home faves with the total opening 207.5.

INJURY REPORT: No injuries to report.

WHAT THE BOOKS SAY: "With the surprising return of Serge Ibaka, could the momentum fully swing in the favor of the Thunder? We are seeing the majority of the action (77 percent) on the Thunder at -2.5." Michael Stewart, CarbonSports.ag.

WHAT THE SHARPS SAY: "It seems that most bettors have fallen in love with the Thunder again now that Serge Ibaka is back in the fold. It's hard not to get on board with that line of thinking, as OKC has proven time and time again that it can hang with San Antonio, provided it is at full strength - and that will be the case here. I do believe this is still going to be a long series, with more twists and turns to come. Thunder at -2.5 is a fair line, but I think we'll undoubtedly see it rise to -3 or -3.5 by the time this game tips off on Tuesday night. To put it simply, this isn't quite as strong of a spot for OKC as we saw in Game 3, but it's by no means an ideal situation to back the Spurs either." Covers Expert Sean Murphy.

ABOUT THE SPURS: Tony Parker had a subpar Game 3 with just nine points on 4-of-13 shooting and expressed during Monday’s media availability session that he must perform significantly better. The veteran point guard also had the same number of assists as turnovers – four – after averaging 18 points, 8.5 assists and 2.5 turnovers in the first two games. “He’s our best player,” coach Gregg Popovich told reporters on Monday. “He’s got to play better.” Backcourt mate Danny Green also had a poor outing with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range. Green averaged 18.5 points on 13-of-18 shooting (11-of-15 from behind the arc) in the first two games.

ABOUT THE THUNDER: Ibaka was the missing link to a frontcourt that struggled without him in the first two games. Veteran Nick Collison and rookie Steven Adams were nonfactors while filling in and Ibaka excelled on the offensive end in Game 3 with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting while doing his customary good work on the defensive end with four blocked shots to go with seven rebounds. “When you talk about a teammate, that’s everything you want in a teammate,” Durant told reporters in response to Ibaka’s unexpected return. “I gained so much more respect for Serge for sacrificing himself for the team.”

TRENDS:

* Under is 5-0 in the last five meetings in Oklahoma City.
* Home team is 12-3-1 ATS in the last 16 meetings.
* Spurs are 0-8 ATS in the last eight meetings in Oklahoma City.
* Under is 5-1 in Thunder last six overall.

COVERS CONSENSUS: Fifty-six percent of Covers Consensus wagers are coming in on the Thunder -2.5.

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SAN ANTONIO vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Antonio's last 5 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
San Antonio is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Oklahoma City's last 11 games when playing San Antonio

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Game of the Day: Heat at Pacers
By Covers.com

Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers (+2, 184)

The Miami Heat are on the verge of a fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals while the Indiana Pacers are one loss away from a long summer of figuring out what went wrong. The Heat will look to close out the Eastern Conference finals when they visit the Pacers for Game 5 on Wednesday. Indiana took Game 1 of the series but has dropped three straight and never looked like it had a chance as Miami cruised through Game 4 on Monday.

The Pacers have never won a series in which they trailed 3-1 but are not giving up on reversing that history. “Our guys believe in what we do, and we know that,” coach Frank Vogel told reporters. “Once we lost Game 2, we need to win one time (in Miami) and then take care of homecourt. So we had three opportunities to do that. We didn’t do it in Game 3 and 4. I believe they’re strong, and we’ll go back and get Game 5 and then come back and fight Game 6.” LeBron James and the Heat realize that Indiana is not going to go down easy. “It’s going to take a better game than we had (Monday),” James told reporters. “It’s that simple.”

LINE HISTORY: Books opened the Heat as 2-point road favorites. The total opened 184.

INJURY REPORT: Heat - Chris Andersen (Questionable, thigh).

WHAT THE BOOKS SAY: "We opened this game Heat -2.5 and so far, it’s attracted good two-way action. Pacers in a must-win game with it being a 'lose and go home' scenario for the. But while they’re in a must win spot, I still have serious questions about their mindset going into Game 5. Do they really think they can beat this Heat team three-straight games and win the series? The Pacers have proven one thing in the past three months, that they are a mentally weak team. So do they truly believe that they can win this series? And if they don’t believe they can, then they could easily be in the mindset of 'let’s get this series over with and let’s get this traumatic season over with'. I believe the Pacers will come out to play, but as has been the case in Games 2 and 3, the Heat will eventually get to that fifth gear that the Pacers simply don’t have and will win this game by going away in the 4th quarter." Peter Childs, Sportsbook.com.

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "The two-time defending champions have won three-straight in this series (both straight-up and ATS) and are mere 2-point favs heading into a crucial Game 5. Coaches and players alike are rattled in Indiana, while Miami continues to conduct itself with poise and an ever growing sense of confidence. All eyes now turn to Pacers' coach Frank Vogel who will be tasked to figure out a line-up that works, and if he doesn't, Indiana's big regular season in which it worked so hard to obtain home-court advantage, will definitely have been wasted." - Covers Experts' Nick Parsons

ABOUT THE HEAT: Miami got a big lift on Monday from center Chris Bosh, who hit his first four shots and ended up with a postseason-high 25 points. “Well, certainly it’s much more how we wanted to play, and the start helped,” coach Eric Spoelstra told reporters. “We came out with a tremendous amount of energy and that was on both ends of the court.” James took care of things in the second half as the Heat cruised. Miami has never let a 3-1 lead slip away in the “Big Three” era and doesn’t intend to let up. “You have to get better every game,” James said. “Their back is against the wall, but we have to go in with that mindset that our back is against the wall, too.”

ABOUT THE PACERS: Guard Lance Stephenson made headlines when he talked about James showing weakness by responding to trash talk prior to Game 4 but had a difficult time backing up his comments. Stephenson was held to one point in the first three quarters and did not record a field goal until the game was out of hand midway through the fourth. Stephenson wasn’t the only starter struggling, as Roy Hibbert went scoreless and had trouble chasing Bosh around the perimeter in the first half. Both Paul George and David West questioned the officiating after Game 4 but guard George Hill was ready to turn the page. “I think this is when we are at out best, when our backs are against the wall,” Hill told reporters.

TRENDS:

* Heat are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.
* Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Heat are 8-1 ATS in their last nine vs. NBA Central.
* Pacers are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

COVERS CONSENSUS: Fifty-four percent of wagers on Covers Consensus are on the Heat -2.

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Game of the Day: Thunder at Spurs
By Covers.com

Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs (-4.5, 206)

Oklahoma City got Serge Ibaka back and suddenly won consecutive games to get back into the Western Conference finals. Now the Thunder look to see if they can keep the momentum going when they visit the San Antonio Spurs in Thursday’s Game 5. San Antonio crushed Oklahoma City by an average of 26 points in the opening two games on its home floor before Ibaka returned from a calf injury and the Thunder turned the tide.

San Antonio let a 2-0 lead get away against Oklahoma City in the 2012 conference finals and is hoping to keep a similar thing from happening this time around. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich waved the white flag in the middle of the third quarter with his team down 27 in hopes of getting veterans Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker enough rest to make a Game 5 turnaround. Thunder forward Kevin Durant can’t explain his team’s sudden switch in fortunes but is aware the task will be tougher in San Antonio. “We’re going to have to ramp it up a little bit more going into San Antonio, but we just focus on game by game,” Durant told reporters on Wednesday. “That’s all we think about.”

LINE HISTORY: The Spurs opened as 4.5-point home faves with the total opening 206.

INJURY UPDATE: Thunder - G Reggie Jackson (Questionable, ankle).

WHAT THE SHARPS SAY: "Oklahoma City got Serge Ibaka back and suddenly won consecutive games to get back into the Western Conference finals. Now the Thunder look to see if they can keep the momentum going when they visit the San Antonio Spurs in Thursday’s Game 5. San Antonio crushed Oklahoma City by an average of 26 points in the opening two games on its home floor before Ibaka returned from a calf injury and the Thunder turned the tide." Covers Expert Steve Merril.

ABOUT THE THUNDER: Durant may have be the league MVP but running mate Russell Westbrook was easily the best player on the floor in Game 4. Westbrook had 40 points – three shy of his postseason high set against Miami in the 2012 NBA Finals – to go with 10 assists and five steals in a scintillating performance. “I’m not surprised at all,” Durant told reporters. “I almost expected him to go out there and play at a high level every time he goes out on the floor.” Westbrook played 45 minutes and committed just three turnovers – the Thunder had seven as a team – and helped Oklahoma City to a 21-0 edge in fast-break points.

ABOUT THE SPURS: Popovich was highly disappointed in his club’s Game 4 showing and the effort was so alarming that even soft-spoken forward Kawhi Leonard spoke out. “We were just not focused coming out,” Leonard told reporters. “We’re not playing consistently throughout the whole game. We’re playing in spurts or increments. We’ve just got to play the whole game.” The presence of Ibaka has negated the inside presence edge San Antonio enjoyed in the first two games but that is far from being the only dropoff for the Spurs. “I don’t know what it is,” Duncan said after the defeat, “but we need to fix it quick and go home and try to turn it around.”

TRENDS:

* Thunder are 12-3-1 ATS in the last 16 meetings.
* Under is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Spurs are 6-0 ATS in their last six home games.
* Under is 5-1 in Spurs last six overall.

COVERS CONSENSUS: Fifty-three percent of wagers at Covers Consensus are coming in on the Spurs.

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Game of the Day: Pacers at Heat
By Covers.com

Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat (-6.5, 183)

Miami leads series 3-2.

LeBron James is coming off the worst playoff performance of his career but the Miami Heat are still in control of the Eastern Conference finals. James and the Heat will attempt to close out the Indiana Pacers when they host Game 6 on Friday. James was plagued by foul trouble and played only 24 minutes in Game 5, managing a playoff career-low seven points on 2-of-10 shooting while Paul George dominated for the Pacers.

George scored 31 of his 37 points in the second half, including 21 in the fourth quarter, as Indiana overcame a rough first half and earned a 93-90 victory at home in Game 5. “The light needs to be on green for all of us,” Indiana coach Frank Vogel told reporters. “You need to go. You need to attack. You need to be aggressive. Paul took it and ran with it and took it to a crazy level.” Even with James off the floor half the game the Heat still had a chance in the final moments thanks to some strong 3-point shooting and a second straight big game from center Chris Bosh.

LINE HISTORY: Miami opened as a 6.5-point favorite and jumped to as high as -7 before money took the spread back to -6.5. The total opened 183.5 and fell to 183 with action on the Under.

INJURY WATCH: Miami - Chris Anderson (Ques/thigh)

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "Miami was 13-3 in postseaason closeout games with the 'Big Three' until Wedneday's loss at Indiana. With LeBron James limited to just 24 minutes of playing time and scoring a playoff career-low seven points, expect an energized effort from the Heat in Game 6." - Covers Expert Marc Lawrence.

WHAT BOOKS SAY: "After a playoff career first - five fouls in three quarters - and only seven points in 24 minutes due to that foul trouble, LeBron James and the Heat look to close out the Pacers and return to the Finals for the fourth straight year. We opened the Heat as 7-point favorites and all the early action came pouring in on the Heat. We have moved to -7.5 and continue to see Heat money at that number. So far 93 percent of the action is on the Heat." - Michael Stewart, CarbonSports.ag.

ABOUT THE PACERS: George went 8-of-10 from the field in the fourth quarter and hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions late to give Indiana just enough cushion to hold off a late push from Miami. The All-Star forward got a break on the defensive end by not having to guard James most of the night. George does not expect things to come quite so easily in Game 6. “It’s going to be tough,” George told reporters. “We’re not expecting any of this to be easy, this whole trip. We’ve got to do one possession at a time down in Miami, and we can’t turn the ball over in Game 6. This Game 6 is going to be about performing like champions.”

ABOUT THE HEAT: Miami does not need a lesson in playing like champions and is still on the verge of its fourth straight trip to the NBA Finals. James had more turnovers (three) than field goals in Game 5 but Rashard Lewis picked up some of the slack with six 3-pointers and the Heat still had a chance to win when James kicked a pass out to Bosh for a 3-pointer that failed to fall with 4.9 seconds left. “The game is reffed by the refs,” James told reporters. “They ref how they see it. We play it, and you live with the results.” Miami dominated Games 3 and 4 at home and is 7-0 this postseason in its own arena.

TRENDS:

* Over is 4-0 in the last four meetings in Miami.
* Favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Home team is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.
* Pacers are 2-5 ATS in the last seven meetings.

COVERS CONSENSUS: 72 percent of action is on Miami -6.5 while 75 percent of bets are on Over 183.

[TheGame]

Re: NBA Playoffs Betting Info. Updated daily.

Game of the Day: Spurs at Thunder
By Covers.com

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City (-3.5, 206.5)

San Antonio leads series 3-2.

The San Antonio Spurs are one victory away from returning to the NBA Finals but have a dubious streak to overcome if they are to end the Western Conference finals on Saturday. San Antonio owns a 3-2 lead in the series as it returns to Oklahoma City, where the Spurs have lost nine consecutive games dating back to March 16, 2012. The Thunder easily won Games 3 and 4 at home and look to force a Game 7 in San Antonio.

The Spurs rolled to a convincing 117-89 victory in Game 5 as the home venue continues to be the most important facet of the series. San Antonio has won its three home games by an average of 26.7 points and lost the two outings in Oklahoma City by an average of 11. Thunder star Kevin Durant isn’t looking at a Game 6 win as a mere formality despite Oklahoma City’s long home-court domination of the Spurs. “We’re guaranteed 48 more minutes,” Durant told reporters. “It’s been an up-and-down series but we’ve got to find a way to come with it in Game 6.”

LINE HISTORY: Oklahoma City opened as low as -3 and jump to -3.5. The total opened 206.5 and jumped to 207 before quickly dropping back down to 206.5.

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "The home team has obviously dominated this playoff series so far, going a perfect 5-0 SU/ATS. However, the level of dominance has been truly amazing.The home team has led by 23, 35, 20, 27, 33 point margins in the five games, while the road team's largest leads have only been 2, 5, 3, 8, 7 in each game before eventually getting blown out." - Covers Experts' Steve Merril

WHAT BOOKS SAY: "In a series that has been dominated by the home teams - the average margin of victory for the home team through the first five games is 20.4 points - we expect the trend to continue in Game 6. We opened the Thunder at -3 and are now dealing -3.5, with the Thunder seeing all the action with 97 percent on the spread and 93 percent on the moneyline." - Michael Stewart, CarbonSports.ag.

ABOUT THE SPURS: Veteran power forward Tim Duncan was back on his game with 22 points and 12 rebounds after averaging 12.5 points and seven boards in the two losses in Oklahoma City. He shot a series-best 8-of-13 from the field in Game 5 and played with an extreme level of determination. “Just wanted to put a better one on the floor and, obviously, didn’t want to go down three games in a row,” Duncan said afterward. Duncan had more room to operate inside due to the decision to stretch the floor by starting perimeter-oriented Matt Bonner over center Tiago Splitter.

ABOUT THE THUNDER: Oklahoma City’s longtime home dominance means nothing when the ball tips off in Game 6, and failing to win a 10th straight time would equate to a disappointing end to the season. The Thunder looked bad in Games 1 and 2 but bounced back, and coach Scott Brooks is at a loss to grasp the one-sided nature of each contest in the series. “It’s interesting, you really can’t explain it because both teams are really good and both teams compete, but it’s the way it is,” Brooks said after Game 5. “We have to regroup and come back better in a few days. We’ve always had a great comeback with better energy and better defensive attitude, and that’s what we’re going to have to come back with.”

TRENDS:

* Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Favorite is 16-5-1 ATS in the last 22 meetings.
* Spurs are 4-12-1 ATS in the last 17 meetings.
* Spurs are 1-10 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Oklahoma City.

COVERS CONSENSUS: 59 percent of bets are on Oklahoma City -2.5. 71 percent of bets are on Over 206.5.