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**TheGame** · 04-30-2016, 08:20 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/30

NBA playoffs betting preview and odds: Thunder at Spurs

Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs (-6, 200.5)

The matchup between All-Star forwards Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City and Kawhi Leonard of San Antonio has the potential to be the series-deciding element as the Thunder and Spurs collide in the Western Conference semifinals. The teams open the series on Saturday in San Antonio and Leonard, the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, will be assigned to slow down and frustrate Durant.

Durant averaged 26 points as Oklahoma City defeated Dallas in five games in the opening round but his shooting was subpar at 36.8 percent from the field and 26.8 percent from 3-point range. Leonard averaged fewer points (21.5) during San Antonio's first-round sweep of Dallas but he shot 52.7 percent from the field - including a torrid 61.1 from 3-point range - while contributing 2.8 blocked shots and 2.8 steals. "He's grown so much," Durant told reporters of Leonard. "He's probably the best in the league at shooting the mid-range off the dribble. Can post up, dribble, shoot the 3, catch and shoot. Their team, their system, their continuity and how they move allows him to get free a lot of times and utilize his game." This will be the third time in five seasons that the teams have met in the playoffs - the Thunder won in six games in 2012 to reach the NBA Finals and the Spurs' six-game series victory in 2014 also advanced them to the NBA Finals.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: The Spurs opened Game 1 as 6-point home favorites over the Thunder, were shortly bet up to -6.5, but have since moved back to the opening number. The total meanwhile, has seen considerable movement. It has been bet down two and a half points from 203 to the current number of 200.5. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE THUNDER (59-28, 40-46-1 ATS, 42-45 O/U): Oklahoma City's four victories in the Dallas series were by an average of 23 points and point guard Russell Westbrook was in top form with five double-doubles - three points-assists and two points-rebounds - while averaging 26 points, 11.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds. "He's got a lot of energy, he's super aggressive and obviously one of the best point guards in the league," Spurs point guard Tony Parker told reporters. "It's just fun to play against him. He brings a lot of excitement to the game. It's always a great matchup." The Thunder would like to see more consistency from backup center Enes Kanter, who had outings of 28 and 21 points against Dallas and scored six or fewer points in two others.

ABOUT THE SPURS (71-15, 47-39 ATS, 36-48-2 O/U): San Antonio won its games against Memphis by an average of 22 points and looked well-oiled with three of the four victories occurring by more than 20 points. Leonard and power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (14.5 average against the Grizzlies) are the offensive mainstays and old playoff stalwarts like center Tim Duncan, shooting guard Manu Ginobili and Parker have accepted lesser roles. "You've got to play both ends of the floor a little differently because he's an All-Star player," Durant said of Aldridge. "He's a guy that can shoot over any shoulder, he can shoot from range, he can roll to the rim, so it's a different dynamic when you play a guy like that, and that's when you've got to be locked in and ready for anything."

TRENDS:

* Thunder are 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Spurs are 0-6 ATS in their last six versus Northwest Division opponents.
* Under is 4-0 in Spurs last four home games.
* Under is 4-1 in the last five meetings.

CONSENSUS: The early consensus has 54 percent of bettors backing the home side Spurs. When it comes to the total, 65 percent of wagers are on the over.

**TheGame** · 04-30-2016, 08:21 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/30

Preview: Thunder (55-27) at Spurs (67-15)

Date: April 30, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Two years ago, the Thunder's Kevin Durant tweeted that Kawhi Leonard was a good player who got a lot of help from the San Antonio Spurs' system.

Durant recognizes the Leonard Oklahoma City is about to square off against is much more. In fact, Durant is so impressed that he checks how Leonard performs each game.

'He's grown so much,' Durant said. 'He's probably the best in the league at shooting the mid-range (jumper) off the dribble. He posts up, dribbles, can shoot the three, catch and shoot. Their team, their system, their continuity and how they move allows him to get free a lot of times and utilizes his game.'

Durant respect for Leonard has also grown over the years.

After Leonard was named Finals MVP in 2014, Durant said on Twitter he would take Indiana's Paul George over Leonard, and that Leonard was 'doing work like this because of the system.'

Durant later clarified, saying he meant no disrespect to Leonard, he simply liked George better. Last month, Durant, unprompted, said Leonard is not a 'system player.'

On Saturday, Durant and Leonard will renew acquaintances in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals in San Antonio.

Their individual matchup will be worth keeping an eye on.

Durant is a four-time scoring champion who averaged 28.2 points and a career-high 8.2 rebounds per game this season. Leonard is the two-time reigning defensive player of the year who was a first-time All-Star this season and led the Spurs in scoring.

Leonard knows his job will be difficult because of Durant's versatility.

'Being able to do everything on the floor, shoot, get in the paint, post, create shots for his teammates,' Leonard said of Durant's skills. 'Just active the whole game.'

Leonard has also become more of an offensive threat. His scoring average has increased from 12.8 points per game in 2013-14, to 16.5 last season, to 21.2 this season. He shot a career-high 44.3 percent from 3-point range on a career-high 291 attempts this season.

---

Some things to watch in the Thunder-Spurs series:

ALDRIDGE EFFECT: LaMarcus Aldridge has gotten comfortable in San Antonio after being acquired in the offseason. He averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this season while allowing Tim Duncan to rest a bit more. 'You've got to play both ends of the floor a little differently because he's an All-Star player,' Durant said. 'He's a guy that can shoot over any shoulder, he can shoot from range, he can roll to the rim, so it's a different dynamic when you play a guy like that, and that's when you've got to be locked in and ready for anything.'

TEXAS-SIZED THREAT: Russell Westbrook had 18 triple-doubles in the regular season, then averaged 26.0 points, 11.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game in the first round of the playoffs against Dallas. In 12 career playoff games against the Spurs he averages 22.5 points, 7.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. 'He's got a lot of energy, he's super aggressive and obviously one of the best point guards in the league,' Spurs guard Tony Parker said. 'It's just fun to play against him. He brings a lot of excitement to the game. It's always a great matchup.'

THEY HAVE HISTORY: The Thunder beat the Spurs 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals in 2011-12, then lost to Miami in the NBA Finals. The Spurs beat the Thunder 4-2 in the 2013-14 Western Conference Finals, and San Antonio beat Miami for the NBA title. 'We've had some battles,' Durant said. 'And there were a few battles where the Finals was on the line. Each team really respects each other and definitely wants to compete.'

COACHING MATCHUP: Gregg Popovich is a five-time NBA champion and the league's most successful active coach. Oklahoma City's Billy Donovan just won the first playoff series of his career in his first year in the league. Donovan doesn't look at it as a one-on-one matchup, but he said he learns every time he studies Popovich's teams. 'You watch San Antonio and Pop's teams play, there's a lot of respect and admiration for the way their team plays,' Donovan said.

OFFENSE vs. DEFENSE: Oklahoma City scored 112.0 points per game on 47.6 percent shooting against Dallas in the first round and shot better than 50 percent in each of the final three games. San Antonio held Memphis to 81 points per game on 39.4 percent shooting in a first-round sweep.

**TheGame** · 04-30-2016, 08:21 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/30

Game 1 - Thunder at Spurs
By Kevin Rogers

(3) Thunder at (2) Spurs – 8:35 PM EST – TNT

2015-16 Meetings
Oct. 28, 2015 – San Antonio 106 at Oklahoma City 112 (Thunder -4, Over 207.5)
Mar. 12, 2016 – Oklahoma City 85 at San Antonio 93 (Thunder +8.5, Under 211.5)
Mar. 26, 2016 – San Antonio 92 at Oklahoma City 111 (Thunder -12.5, Under 207)
Apr. 12, 2016 – Oklahoma City 98 at San Antonio 102 – OT (Thunder +13, Under 203)

The two teams chasing down Golden State for the crown in the Western Conference begin their highly-anticipated series on Saturday night from AT&T Center in San Antonio. The Spurs are back in the second round for the fourth time in five seasons after getting knocked by the Clippers in an epic seven-game opening round series in 2015. For the fifth time in six seasons, the Thunder have reached the conference semifinals, as OKC is seeking its fourth conference final appearance since 2011.

San Antonio (71-15 SU, 47-39 ATS) cruised to a first round sweep of an undermanned Memphis squad in the opening round. The Spurs didn’t allow more than 95 points in any of the four victories against the Grizzlies, while three of those wins came by 21 points or more. Gregg Popovich’s squad covered in three of four contests, as the Spurs completed the total season sweep of Memphis by going 8-0 SU and 6-2 ATS in eight matchups.

The Thunder (59-28 SU, 40-46-1 ATS) finished off the Mavericks in five games of the conference quarterfinals, as all four victories came in blowout fashion. For the exception of a slip-up in a Game 2 loss as 14-point favorites, Billy Donovan’s club dominated in this series, while pulling away in the series clincher, 118-104, the third straight game in which the Thunder scored at least 118 points. The final three contests finished ‘over’ the total, while both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook each averaged 26.0 points per game in the series.

The home team won all four meetings this season, with three of the matchups taking place in the last six weeks. Oklahoma City held off San Antonio on opening night to win Donovan’s debut as head coach, 112-106 as four-point home favorites. The Thunder outscored the Spurs in the final quarter, 33-23, as Westbrook led the way for OKC with 33 points and 10 assists, while Durant scored 22 points on 6-of-19 shooting. Kawhi Leonard paced the Spurs by scoring 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting, while LaMarcus Aldridge struggled in his San Antonio debut by shooting 4-of-12 from the floor for 11 points.

In their next matchup on March 12 at the AT&T Center, the Spurs rallied for a 93-85 victory as San Antonio limited OKC to 36 points in the second half. The Thunder were limited to 38% shooting as Durant and Westbrook combined to make 16-of-41 attempts from the floor, while the team knocked down only 2-of-18 shots from three-point range. San Antonio didn’t perform better from downtown by hitting 4-of-24 attempts from long range, while the Spurs won in spite of their starting backcourt of Danny Green and Tony Parker scoring nine points on 1-of-14 shooting.

The final two meetings weren’t fair assessments as important players on each side rested. On March 26 in Oklahoma City, the Spurs sat Parker, Aldridge, Leonard, and Tim Duncan as the Thunder ripped the Spurs, 111-92 to easily cash as 12 ½-point favorites. In the last matchup in San Antonio on April 12, the Spurs held off the Thunder in overtime, 102-98. Oklahoma City covered as 13-point underdogs in spite of Durant and Westbrook sitting out, as the Thunder finished with a perfect 4-0 ATS record against San Antonio this season.

San Antonio and Oklahoma City have turned into postseason rivals over the last few seasons, as the two teams met for the Western Conference championship in 2012 and 2014. The Thunder erased a 2-0 series deficit to beat the Spurs in four straight games to capture the franchise’s first conference title in Oklahoma City back in 2012 before OKC lost in five games of the NBA Finals to Miami. The Spurs picked up revenge two seasons later by eliminating the Thunder in six games of the Western finals, while closing out the series in overtime at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The Thunder haven’t had much luck at the AT&T Center in the postseason by compiling a 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS record in the last six playoff games at San Antonio. In the 2014 conference finals, the Spurs wiped out the Thunder in all three home contests with the margin of victory being 17, 35, and 28 points. Oklahoma City took care of its business at home in the last two series against San Antonio by winning and covering five of six games, including the series clincher in Game 6 of the 2012 conference finals.

VegasInsider.com editorial director and NBA expert Chris David provides some interesting notes on Oklahoma City in the underdog role, “The Thunder have been installed as an underdog 11 times this season and they went 1-10 in those games. Coincidentally, the lone win came at Utah and the only reason Oklahoma City was an underdog is because Durant was a game-time decision and he was inserted into the starting lineup late. In the 10 losses, OKC was 3-6-1 ATS (33%) and that number right there could have you buying the Spurs.”

The Spurs lost only one home game this season and David doesn’t see San Antonio slowing up at the Alamo, “Another reason to back San Antonio in Game 1 is based on its success at home in the playoffs. The club has gone 23-7 SU and 19-11 ATS in its last 30 games at the AT&T Center and that includes a run of 13 straight wins in the series opener at home. The last time San Antonio dropped its first home game in a playoff series came in the 2011 NBA Playoffs when Memphis knocked them out in six games of their first round series.”

From a totals perspective, David points out that the contrasting styles complicate things for bettors, “The total for Game 1 opened 202 ½ and early action has dropped the number as low as 200 ½ at a few major offshore shops. Similar to analyzing the side, your decision for the total on this matchup will come down to the Spurs top-ranked defense (92.3 PPG) against the second best offense in Oklahoma City (110.3 PPG).”

So what will prevail? “The ‘under’ went 3-1 in the four regular season matchups between the pair and in the lone meaningful game in San Antonio, the Spurs captured an ugly 93-85 win. Including two easy winners in the first round versus Memphis, the Spurs have watched the ‘under’ go 8-2 in their last 10 home playoff games. In the 2014 playoff matchup between OKC and San Antonio, the ‘under’ went 4-2 with totals ranging from 206 ½ to 210,” David notes.

The Spurs are listed as a -270 favorite to advance to the Western Conference finals (Bet $270 to win $100). The Thunder have proven in the past that they can rebound from an early series deficit against the Spurs, as Oklahoma City enters this series at +225 to knock out San Antonio (Bet $100 to win $225). San Antonio is right behind Golden State for the top spot to win the NBA championship, as the Spurs enter this round at 2/1 odds to capture their sixth title in franchise history.

**TheGame** · 04-30-2016, 08:22 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/30

NBA Odds: Conference Semifinals Game 1 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews

Just one NBA game on Saturday this week and I don't write Sunday for Monday -- we all need one day off -- so I'll switch up a bit here in my Opening Line Report and look at the series opener on Saturday between Oklahoma City and San Antonio and Monday's Game 1 between Atlanta and Cleveland. Entering Friday, those are the only two second-round matchups that are locked in; I expect two first-round series on Friday to conclude but think the third, Raptors-Pacers, will go to a Game 7 on Sunday. As for these two series, I believe one will be highly entertaining and go at least six games and the other to maybe last five. I'm guessing you know which is which.

No. 3 Thunder at No. 2 Spurs (-6.5, 201)

Think about what's on the line here. I don't even really mean this season and an expected matchup with Golden State in the Western Conference Finals. Both the Spurs and Thunder could look very different next season with a series loss here. I'm not sure Kevin Durant re-signs with OKC as a free-agent-to-be if the Thunder lose this series. It probably takes at least a trip to the NBA Finals for Durant to be assured of at least signing a one-year deal and locking his future to Russell Westbrook's after next season. The Spurs, meanwhile, could be saying goodbye to likely future Hall of Famers Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili if they lose this series. But might both put off retirement if the Spurs win the NBA title? After all, the team has yet to repeat. Interesting questions. It's the third time these two have met in the playoffs, and the previous two were in the West Finals. OKC won in 2012 and San Antonio in 2014.

San Antonio destroyed the injury-ravaged Grizzlies in Round 1 in a four-game sweep with a point differential of plus-88. That's one of the highest in NBA history for a sweep. The Thunder lost one game to Dallas when Durant and Westbrook really struggled -- OKC scored just 84 points in that loss but at least 108 in every other game -- but otherwise won each by at least 11 points. Both the Spurs and Thunder are very well rested and healthy. Can't wait to see two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard draped on Durant all series. Durant shot only 39 percent against the Spurs with Leonard on the floor during the regular season and 58 percent when he wasn't on the court. The Spurs and Thunder split four meetings. Throw out the most recent two as key players were rested on one side in each. The first meeting was the season opener and the second in a back-to-back setting for OKC. There's little question the Spurs are the better overall team, so this series will depend largely on what Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and Enes Kanter are going to do. With Leonard suffocating Durant and the Spurs to swarm Westbrook when he's in the lane , that means there will be open shots for everyone else. If the Thunder get to 100 points against the NBA's top defense, they probably win. If not, Spurs do.

Series line: Spurs -300, Thunder +250

Key trends: The Thunder are 4-0 against the spread in the past four meetings. The "over/under" has gone under in four of the past five.

Early lean: Spurs and under.

No. 4 Hawks at No. 1 Cavaliers (-7.5, 201)

These teams met in last year's East Finals and the Cavaliers swept, with really only one game that close. It should be noted the Hawks were a bit beaten up then, specifically Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll, who is now in Toronto. Then again, the Cavs didn't have Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving played in only two games and was very limited in them. LeBron James killed Atlanta in that series, averaging 30.3 points, 11 rebounds and 9.3 assists. A whopping 60.9 percent of his baskets came within five feet of the basket while he shot just 32.1 percent outside of that range. This Hawks team is much better defensively -- it entered the playoffs ranked first in the NBA in points allowed per possession since Dec. 15 -- if not quite as good offensively. But clearly the goal will be to make LeBron a jump-shooter again.

Atlanta surprised me with how thoroughly dominant it was in finishing off the Celtics in Game 6 in Boston on Thursday night, 104-92. It was the Hawks' first playoff series win over Boston since the St. Louis Hawks beat Boston in the 1958 Finals. Atlanta blew it open with a 39-point third quarter in which it shot 74 percent from the field. I still wonder how different that series might have been if Boston guard Avery Bradley hadn't gotten hurt. The one concern for Atlanta was that point guard Jeff Teague rolled his ankle but did play through it if not quite 100 percent.

Perhaps the Hawks can steal Game 1 since the potentially rusty Cavaliers have been off since sweeping out Detroit last Sunday. The Hawks were swept by Cleveland this season, dropping the three meetings by an average of almost 10 points (109.3 to 99.7). The Cavs scored 109 or more in each and outshot the Hawks 45.1 percent to 40.7 percent.

Series line: Cavaliers -450, Hawks +375

Key trends: The Hawks were 20-20-1 ATS on the road this season and 19-22 O/U. The Cavs were 20-21 ATS at home during the season and 22-19 O/U. The Cavs were 3-0 ATS vs. the Hawks in the regular season and 2-1 O/U.

Early lean: Cavaliers and over.

**TheGame** · 04-30-2016, 08:29 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/30

NBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, April 30

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OKLAHOMA CITY (59 - 28) at SAN ANTONIO (71 - 15) - 4/30/2016, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 38-46 ATS (-12.6 Units) in all games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 33-48 ATS (-19.8 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 24-33 ATS (-12.3 Units) after scoring 105 points or more this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 47-39 ATS (+4.1 Units) in all games this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 46-34 ATS (+8.6 Units) as a favorite this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 141-106 ATS (+24.4 Units) as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 486-402 ATS (+43.8 Units) in home games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 76-49 ATS (+22.1 Units) in home games in all playoff games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 197-151 ATS (+30.9 Units) in home games after a win by 10 points or more since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 284-230 ATS (+31.0 Units) after scoring 105 points or more since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 270-223 ATS (+24.7 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 171-124 ATS (+34.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 70-54 ATS (+10.6 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 154-113 ATS (+29.7 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 11-6 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 9-8 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
10 of 17 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

**TheGame** · 04-30-2016, 08:29 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/30

NBA
Short Sheet

Saturday, April 30

Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 9:35 ET
Oklahoma City: 3-13 ATS on road after playing 5 consecutive games as favorite
San Antonio: 41-33 ATS after playing 2 consecutive games as favorite

**TheGame** · 04-30-2016, 08:29 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/30

NBA

Saturday, April 30

Trend Report

8:30 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. SAN ANTONIO
Oklahoma City is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Antonio
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Oklahoma City's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Antonio's last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
San Antonio is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Oklahoma City

**TheGame** · 04-30-2016, 08:29 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 4/30

NBA

Saturday, April 30

San Antonio won six of last nine games with Oklahoma City, winning last three played here, by 4-8-39 points. Four of last five series games stayed under the total. Thunder beat Dallas in five games, scoring 116.0 ppg in winning last three games- they had lost last three road games in a row but won swept pair at Dallas. Spurs won last six games, sweeping a depleted Memphis squad four straight, with 96-87 closest of the four.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 25-17, Over: 13-29

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NBA Betting Info. 4/30

NBA Betting Info. 4/30

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