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**TheGame** · 05-02-2016, 07:32 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/2

Preview: Hawks (48-34) at Cavaliers (57-25)

Date: May 02, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

CLEVELAND (AP) LeBron James plucked the Atlanta Hawks clean and stuffed them for mounting by himself in last year's playoffs.

He's got more help now.

With Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving healthy and well-rested following a first-round sweep of Detroit, James and the Cleveland Cavaliers enter their series against the Hawks as overwhelming favorites to return to the Eastern Conference finals. The Cavs swept the Hawks a year ago on their way to the NBA Finals and have won seven straight over Atlanta.

James, though, said the recent domination means nothing once Game 1 tips off Monday.

'It don't matter if you can win 100 straight games against somebody,' James said. 'If you lose four in a row, then you're out of the playoffs.'

That's what happened to the Hawks last year, when James overwhelmed them in the conference finals. He nearly averaged a triple-double, posting 30.3 points,11 rebounds and 9.3 assists in the four games, the highest statistical line in postseason history.

The four-time MVP was forced to do much of it on his own after the Cavs lost Love to a shoulder injury in the first round and Irving was playing on a gimpy knee that eventually gave out in the Finals, when he shattered his kneecap in Game 1.

Atlanta's chances this time hinge on figuring a way to slow down James and take their chances with the rest of the Cavs.

'You start at the top, you put pressure on the leader, put pressure on their best player, which is LeBron James,' Hawks forward Paul Millsap said. 'I think we go for the head of the snake now, which is LeBron, make it tough on him, get out to the shooters when possible, just make it tough on them all around.'

The Hawks believe their experience last season against James, along with the confidence gained in their first-round win over Boston, will serve them this time.

'Winning Game 6 in Boston is a huge step for not only myself, but this team,' guard Kent Bazemore said. 'I don't think a lot of people thought we were going to go up there and close it, the way they had been playing us all series. It's just a step for us in the right direction.'

Here are some other things to note as the Hawks and Cavs meet for the second straight postseason:

TWITTER TOUGHNESS: Bazemore doesn't like James and vice versa.

Atlanta's guard began bashing James on social media before he got to the NBA, and he gave the superstar a shove in last year's playoffs. Needless to say, James shoved back.

Bazemore relishes the chance to match up with James and needs an edge to do so.

'Whatever helps you wake up in the morning,' said Bazemore, who will likely get the first crack at guarding James. 'You got to amp yourself up. You can't go in humble, I guess. You've got to make yourself angry and do whatever you gotta do, because he's a freight train. He comes with everything he has. You have to do the same to hang in there.'

DIRTY DELLY: Cavs hustling guard Matthew Dellavedova was a major pain - literally - in last year's matchup.

Dellavedova knocked Hawks sharpshooter Kyle Korver out of the series with a sprained ankle while diving for a loose ball. He also got tangled up with Hawks big man Al Horford, who threw a forearm in frustration and was ejected from Game 3.

'Delly has actually been a thorn in our side,' Bazemore said. 'He's hurt us. I respect him. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. Plays hard. He isn't afraid. You've gotta respect that, especially myself. I'm sure he's not trying to take guys out.'

REST VS. RUST: Last season, the Cavs came off a weeklong break following the first round and dropped Game 1 at home to Chicago. Cleveland also lost Game 3, and if not for James' clutch, game-winning 3-pointer in Chicago in Game 4, the Cavs could have been in a 3-1 hole.

Coach Tyronn Lue said Sunday his team is 'very anxious' for the series to start.

LAST MEETING: When the teams played in Cleveland on April 11, James scored 34 points (on 13 of 16 shooting) and added six rebounds and six assists - in just three quarters. Irving added 35 points in the Cavs' 109-94 win.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: If there's one noticeable change in the Hawks this season, it's their defense. Atlanta held opponents to a league-low 43 percent field-goal percentage and 99.2 points per game.

Millsap said the change happened naturally.

'We were struggling offensively,' he said. 'If you're not scoring, can't let the opponents score. That's where it all started. We struggled on the offensive end, defense was our staple. Defense kept us in games, won us games for us.'

**TheGame** · 05-02-2016, 07:33 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/2

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

Date: May 02, 2016 9:30 PM EDT

There was a possession in which LaMarcus Aldridge grabbed a defensive rebound, outlet-passed to Manu Ginobili, who then turned and fired a 70-foot strike to Kawhi Leonard for a dunk.

The whole play took about 3 seconds. And the ball never touched the floor.

Not everything came that easily for San Antonio in the opener of the Spurs' Western Conference semifinal series against Oklahoma City on Saturday. It only seemed that way, as they rolled to a 124-92 win and now look to take a 2-0 lead when the series continues in San Antonio on Monday night.

'Now we've got to get back to the drawing board and see what we've got to do better to get ready for Game 2,' Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook said. 'Come out and play with a different mindset.'

That would be a start.

The three worst playoff losses of Kevin Durant and Westbrook's time together in Oklahoma City have one thing in common - they all happened in San Antonio.

The Spurs won by 35 on May 21, 2014, followed that up eight nights later with a 28-point win and now have added a 32-pointer for good measure. The Game 1 margin was the biggest defeat Thunder coach Billy Donovan has dealt with in more than 17 years.

It was Feb. 10, 1999 - 660 games ago for Donovan - when his Florida Gators lost 91-56 to Tennessee. That Gator team recovered and won four of its next five games, and if the Thunder are going to get out of this series they'll have to do something similar.

'I think the guys in that locker room are pretty competitive,' Donovan said. 'I think they're going to want to come back and respond.'

The key for the Thunder in Game 2 will be stopping Aldridge. They had no answers for him in Game 1; Aldridge scored 38 points and didn't even play 30 minutes.

When the Spurs acquired him, it was evident that they would again be a major title favorite. It's working out exactly as San Antonio planned.

'I don't know an exact date,' coach Gregg Popovich said when asked how long it took Aldridge to get comfortable with the Spurs. 'It was a progression. Any new player in a new program, it's a progression. It takes a little bit of time to get comfortable with the system and secondly, with teammates - who does what, when, where, how, all that kind of thing. It was just a steady kind of improvement and recognition as the year went on.'

If players get asked to play big minutes Monday, that shouldn't be an issue. Game 3 isn't until Friday night in Oklahoma City.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have long been one of the league's all-time trios. But the sheer margin by which they're separating themselves from some of the others on that list is getting to be staggering.

Consider:

Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won 600 games together for the Los Angeles Lakers. Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish won 632 in their days as Boston Celtics teammates.

It took a long time for those numbers to be passed. It's going to take a real long time before anyone even comes near what Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have done - now with 700 wins together after Saturday's Game 1 victory.

Everything worked for the Spurs in the opener. They had 39 assists and all but one of their players who got minutes had at least one - the exception being Andre Miller. And the Spurs are 43-1 at home this season, 34-0 when Duncan is in the lineup.

And for all the adjustments Oklahoma City will make, figuring out how to get better against Leonard's defense probably should be foremost. Leonard spent much of Game 1 guarding Westbrook, helping force him into a 5-for-19 night from the floor. Meanwhile, Leonard and Aldridge combined to make 28 of 36 shots.

**TheGame** · 05-02-2016, 07:33 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/2

Monday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards

**Atlanta at Cleveland**

-- When these clubs met in the Eastern Conference finals last season, Cleveland dealt out broom treatment with a clean 4-0 series sweep. Even with Kevin Love sidelined with a shoulder injury, the Cavaliers won the first two games in Atlanta. J.R. Smith’s 28-point explosion on 8-of-12 shooting from 3-point land was the catalyst in Game 1. Kyrie Irving injured his knee in the series opener, but his absence didn’t prevent the Cavs from winning Game 2 by a 94-82 count behind LeBron James’s 30 points. Atlanta came out strong in Game 3 and was leading in the second quarter when Al Horford was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul that was complete garbage. Matthew Dellavedova, who put Kyle Korver out for the series by injuring him during a loose-ball scramble in Game 2, cut Horford’s legs out from under him. While falling to the ground, Horford had to brace his fall and he was coming down on Dellavedova by no fault of his own. Horford gave him a love-tap of a forearm as he landed, but it was nowhere near an act deserving of an ejection, especially in the playoffs. (Trust me, folks. If Horford wanted to give Dellavedova a forearm as if he meant business, Dellavedova would’ve been out for the game as well.) Anyway, without Korver and Horford, Cleveland won 114-111 in overtime. James scored a game-high 37 points, while Jeff Teague had a team-best 30 points in the losing effort. With Irving returning for Game 4, the Cavs easily closed out the series in a 118-88 blowout.

-- Cleveland (61-25 SU, 39-44-3 ATS) won all three regular-season meetings against Atlanta this year. The Cavs beat the Hawks 109-97 as 5.5-point home favorites. Then on April 1, Tyron Lue’s squad won a 110-108 decision at Atlanta in overtime as a 2.5-point road ‘chalk.’ On April 11, Cleveland won 109-94 as a 6.5-point home favorite.

-- Cleveland advanced to the East semifinals by sweeping Detroit in four games, but the Pistons went 2-2 ATS. They covered as 11-point underdogs in a 106-101 loss in Game 1. Detroit led by five early in the third quarter of Game 2, but Cleveland went on a big run and eventually collected a 107-90 triumph as a 10.5-point home favorite. In Game 3 at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the Cavs won by a 101-91 count as five-point road favorites.

-- In Game 4 at Detroit, Cleveland captured a 100-98 win as a 6.5-point road ‘chalk.’ Reggie Jackson’s 3-point attempt to win the game at the buzzer was off the mark. Jackson pleaded for a foul call on the play to no avail. Irving sparked the winners with 31 points, including a huge trey with 42 seconds remaining. James tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals. Smith added 15 points, while Love contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds.

-- Irving averaged 27.5 points per game in the first-round series against Detroit. James averaged 22.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game, while Love averaged 18.8 points and 12.0 rebounds per contest.

-- Cleveland owns a 35-8 SU record and a 21-22 ATS mark at home this year.

-- Atlanta (52-36 SU, 45-42-1 ATS) eliminated Boston in Game 6 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2010-2011. The Hawks coasted to a 104-92 victory as three-point road ‘chalk’ Thursday night at TD Garden Arena. The 196 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 198-point total.

-- Mike Budenholzer’s club put the Game 6 on ice in the third quarter, outscoring the Celtics 39-26 after leading by eight at halftime. Atlanta cashed tickets for first-quarter (-0.5, -115) and first-half (-1.5) wagers. The Hawks led by 28 points at one point before Boston trimmed the deficit late in the fourth quarter to create a misleading final score. Paul Millsap led six Atlanta players in double figures with 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Kent Bazemore added 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocked shots, while Horford snapped out of his scoring slump to produce 15 points, three blocked shots and two steals. Horford hadn’t scored in double figures in the three previous games.

-- Korver capped an excellent first-round series in Game 6 by contributing 14 points, nine rebounds, two blocked shots, one steal and three assists compared to just one turnover. Dennis Schroder had 12 points, eight assists and three boards in the series finale, while Teague finished with 11 points and five assists.

-- For Monday’s Game 1, the Westgate SuperBook opened Cleveland as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 201. The number for the side hasn’t moved, while the total was at 200.5 points Sunday night. The Cavs are -350 on the money line, leaving the Hawks as the +290 underdogs (risk $100 to win $290). The Cavs are four-point ‘chalk’ for first-half plays.

Chris David likes the Cavs in Game 1. He said, "Even though I believe this series will be more competitive than last year’s playoff encounter, I’m still buying Cleveland in Game 1 at home based on the rest. The Cavaliers will have had eight days off heading into the opener and they’ve thrived in this spot, going 5-1 with at least three days of rest this season. More importantly, they’ve covered four of those wins while outscoring opponents by 13 points per game (101-88)."

-- Atlanta owns a 22-22 SU record and a 21-22-1 ATS mark in its 44 road assignments this year.

-- The ‘under’ went 5-1 in Atlanta’s series against Boston. The combined scores were (in order) 203, 161, 214, 199 (despite OT), 193 and 196.

-- The ‘under’ is 49-39 overall for the Hawks, 24-20 in their road assignments. They have watched the ‘under’ cash at a 9-2 clip in their last 11 outings.

-- Totals have been an overall wash (43-43) for the Cavs this year. The ‘over’ is 23-20 in their home games.

-- The ‘over’ is 4-1 in the last five head-to-head meetings between these teams.

-- VI's David also has a play on Cleveland's team total. He said, "The total for Game 1 is hovering between 200 and 201 at most betting shops. The Cavaliers match up real well with the Hawks and it showed in the box scores. They averaged 109 PPG in the three regular season meetings plus they posted 105.8 PPG in the four-game playoff sweep last season. In the first round against Detroit, the Cavs weren’t held under 100 in any of the games and I believe the Pistons scheme and players are much better defensively. Cleveland’s team total is 104 and I believe they surpass that number on Monday."

-- Tip-off for Game 1 is scheduled for Monday night at 7:05 p.m. Eastern on TNT.

**Oklahoma City at San Antonio**

-- Game 1 was a quick and easy one for the Spurs, who coasted to a 124-92 win as 6.5-point home favorites. The 216 combined points soared ‘over’ the 199.5-point total. San Antonio went ahead 43-20 by the end of the first quarter and led by 33 at intermission. LaMarcus Aldridge led the way with 38 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Aldridge made 18-of-23 shots from the field. Kawhi Leonard added 25 points, five rebounds and five assists compared to merely one turnover. He hit 10-of-13 attempts from the field. Danny Green buried 5-of-6 launches from downtown and finished with 18 points.

-- In the blowout defeat, Serge Ibaka scored a team-best 19 points for OKC. Kevin Durant had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Russell Westbrook produced 14 points and nine assists. Westbrook struggled from the field by hitting only 5-of-19 attempts.

-- For Game 2, the Westgate opened San Antonio (72-15 SU, 48-39 ATS) as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 202.5 points. Those numbers hadn’t budged by Sunday night. The Spurs were -350 on the money line, leaving the Thunder available for gamblers for a +290 payout (risk $100 to win $290). Gregg Popovich’s team is a four-point ‘chalk’ for first-half wagers.

-- San Antonio went 43-1 SU and 26-18 ATS at home this year.

-- Oklahoma City (59-29 SU, 40-47-1 ATS) is 25-19 SU but just 19-25 ATS on the road. Billy Donovan’s team owns a 4-7 spread record with just one outright victory in 11 games as a road underdog this season.

-- After losing Game 2 at home to Dallas in its first-round series, Oklahoma City won three in a row to close out the Mavericks. The Thunder beat the Mavs by margins of 38, 29, 11 and 14. They won a 118-104 decision in Game 5 thanks to 36 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists from Westbrook. Durant added 33 points.

-- Through six postseason games, Durant is averaging 24.3 PPG but he’s struggling mightily from the field. The 27-year-old who played one season at the University of Texas is making only 37.2 percent of his shots, including an abysmal 25.6 percent from 3-point land. Westbrook is averaging 24.0 points, 10.8 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game.

-- VI's David likes the Spurs in Game 2. David said, "Oklahoma City was exposed in Game 1 to the masses and I expect to see more of the same as this series progresses. Saturday’s defensive effort was the 10th time this season that the Thunder allowed 120 or more points and it’s even more amazing that they won three of those games. OKC is an offensive juggernaut and I wouldn’t advise betting on a team that needs to hit a high percentage to win. San Antonio has gone 21-10 as a favorite of eight or less points this season and 19-12 ATS, which means they usually cover when they win and I’ll take those percentages in Game 2 on Monday."

-- The ‘under’ is 45-43 overall for the Thunder, but the ‘over’ is 26-18 in its road assignments. They have watched the ‘over’ cash in each of their last five games.

-- The ‘under’ is 48-37-2 overall for the Spurs, 23-20-1 in their home outings. They have seen the ‘under’ go 6-2 in their last eight contests.

-- These teams split their four regular-season meetings with each club holding serve at home. The home team has compiled an 18-8-1 spread record in the last 27 encounters between these teams.

-- TNT will have the telecast at 9:35 p.m. Eastern.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

-- Golden State captured a 118-106 win over Portland in Sunday’s series opener of the West semifinals at Oracle Arena. The Warriors raced out to a 20-point lead at the end of the first quarter and enjoyed a 65-51 advantage at halftime. They easily covered first-quarter (-3.5) and first-half (-6) bets. All five starters scored in double figures led by Klay Thompson’s game-high 37 points. Thompson hit 7-of-14 shots from 3-point range, grabbed five rebounds, dished out five assists and made two steals. Draymond Green produced a triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and three blocked shots. Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes both scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

-- Trailing by 14 at intermission, Portland was a two-point underdog (+16 adjusted) for second-half wagers. The Trail Blazers covered those bets thanks to a 33-25 advantage over the Warriors in the fourth quarter. Damian Lillard finished with 30 points, but he got most of those in the second half and struggled from the field by making only 8-of-26 attempts. Golden State did an outstanding job of defending the Blazers’ backcourt, forcing C.J. McCollum to go 5-of-17 from the field in a 12-point effort. Terry Stotts has to feel great about the way his bench played, though. This group was an amazing 16-of-22 from the field. Allen Crabbe had 15 points, six rebounds and three assists without a turnover. Ed Davis fouled out after playing only 19 minutes, but he still contributed 11 points, seven boards and three assists without a turnover.

-- The 224 combined points went ‘over’ the 210-point total for the Warriors and Trail Blazers. The ‘over’ also hit for second-half bets (105, 221 adjusted).

-- Miami routed Charlotte 106-73 as a six-point home favorite in Sunday’s Game 7 in South Florida. Goran Dragic was the catalyst with 25 points, six rebounds and four assists. Luol Deng added 15 points, eight boards and four assists.

**TheGame** · 05-02-2016, 07:34 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/2

NBA

Monday's game

Atlanta-Cleveland (0-0)
Cavaliers haven't played in eight days, Atlanta in four days. Cleveland won its last seven games (6-1 vs spread) vs Hawks, covered three of last four played here. Four of last five series games went over. Atlanta lost four of last five road games, with win coming Thursday in Game 6 over the Celtics. Cleveland swept the Pistons 4-0; they're 3-2 vs spread last five home games, with three of those five going over the total.

Oklahoma City-San Antonio (SA 1-0)
In Game 1, Leonard/Aldridge combined to make 28-36 from floor in easy win that Spurs led 73-40 at half. San Antonio won seven of its last ten games with Oklahoma City, winning last four played here, by 4-8-39-32 points. Four of last six series games stayed under the total. Spurs won last seven games overall, covering five of their last six. Westbrook missed 14 of 19 shots Saturday; Thunder was 6-23 on arc in an ugly loss.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 2-0, over: 2-0

**TheGame** · 05-02-2016, 07:34 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/2

Previews, Streaks, Tips, Notes

Oklahoma City at San Antonio May 2, 9:30 EST

Spurs with the best defense in the league allowing a lowly 96.3 points per opponent 100 possessions along with featuring the third-best shooting team in the league netting 108.8 points per 100 possessions handed Thunder a 124-92 beat-down as 6.5 point home chalk in the opener of their conference semifinal game.

Home-court something San Antonio can tap into, easy making a case for Spurs. Tough nuts to crack at AT&T Center in San Antonio the Spurs have reeled of a 43-1 record in front of the friendly crowd with a profitable 26-18-1 mark against the betting line. Matching that, the Spurs are 15-4 (13-6 ATS) the past nineteen second season games on home court including 4-0 SU/ATS running the hardwood vs Thunder.

**Satch** · 05-02-2016, 10:17 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/2

Preview: Atlanta At Cleveland

When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, May 2, 2016
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

Matchup Edge

ATL	Edge in:	CLE
	Points Per Game
	Field Goal %
	Free Throw %
	Defense
	Rebounding
	Turn Overs
	Bench

The Atlanta Hawks were no match for Cleveland during last season's Eastern Conference finals and attempt to put up a better fight this time around when they meet the Cavaliers in the conference semifinals. The quest begins Monday in Cleveland and the Hawks certainly haven't forgotten that they were swept last season and suffered a 30-point shellacking in the final game of the series.

Forward LeBron James operated at will in the conference finals by averaging 30.3 points, 11 rebounds and 9.3 assists. James continued his dominance of the Hawks this season with averages of 27.3 points, 11 rebounds and 7.8 assists in three games - all won by Cleveland - but isn't expecting another cakewalk. "Nothing is easy in the postseason," James told reporters. "There's too much work, both on the floor and mentally that you have to do to prepare for a playoff series understanding how the competition is going to be at its highest level. Easy should never even come into play when you're talking about playoff basketball or basketball in general at this level." The Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons in the opening round while Atlanta ousted the Boston Celtics in a six-game series.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE HAWKS: Small forward Kent Bazemore will be under the microscope after averaging 14 points and seven rebounds in the series against Boston as he will draw the defensive assignment of slowing down James. Bazemore hasn't been shy about criticizing James in the past and is one of the Atlanta players who has a chip on his shoulders due to last season's playoff beat down. "You got to amp yourself up and you can't go in humble, I guess," Bazemore told reporters. "You got to make yourself angry and do whatever you got to do to accept that challenge, because he is a freight train and brings it and comes with everything he has, so you have to do the same to hang in there."

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: Point guard Kyrie Irving was superb during the sweep of the Pistons and topped 30 points twice while averaging 27.5 for the series. Irving knocked down the big shots as he continues to show that someday he will be the team's undisputed closer instead of sharing the role with James. "At the end of the day we have two of the best closers in the game playing on one team," Irving told reporters. "You have a 6-8 monster who can penetrate and get anywhere he wants on the floor, and then myself having that confidence in those situations. Regardless of who the play is drawn up for, that's up to (coach Tyronn Lue)."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Hawks C Al Horford averaged just 8.5 points in the final four games of the Boston series after averaging 20.5 points in the first two contests.

2. Cleveland PF Kevin Love averaged 18.8 points and 12 rebounds in the sweep of Detroit and recorded a double-double in each game.

3. Atlanta PF Paul Millsap scored a playoff career-best 45 points in one game in the Boston series and averaged just 10.6 points in the other five games.

PREDICTION: Cavaliers 112, Hawks 97

**Satch** · 05-02-2016, 10:19 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/2

Preview: Oklahoma City At San Antonio

When: 9:30 PM ET, Monday, May 2, 2016
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas

Matchup Edge

OKC	Edge in:	SA
	Points Per Game
	Field Goal %
	Free Throw %
	Defense
	Rebounding
	Turn Overs
	Bench

The San Antonio Spurs annihilated Oklahoma City in the series opener and attempt to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals when they host the Thunder on Monday. San Antonio held a 23-point lead after the opening quarter of Game 1 and All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge had a huge game with 38 points as the Spurs blitzed the Thunder from the outset.

San Antonio led 73-40 at halftime while establishing supremacy over the Thunder but shooting guard Danny Green isn't expecting things to be so easy in Game 2. "We know that they're going to come out super-aggressive next game, they're gonna make adjustments, and we're not gonna shoot as well as we did," Green told reporters. "It’s one game. It’s not a momentum thing. Each game is different. Every game is its own playoff series. So it's not like it's going to carry over to next game." Oklahoma City stars Kevin Durant (16 points on 6-of-15 shooting) and Russell Westbrook (14 points, 5-of-19) both had woeful games as Spurs' two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard took turns defending each player. "Me personally, I never look at the guy in front of me," Westbrook told reporters. "I look at the help to see what's the next move. Not a big problem, just got to find ways to read the help a little bit better and make better decisions."

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE THUNDER: Durant has scored less than 20 points in two of Oklahoma City's six playoff games and wasn't the least bit interested to share his feelings after the horrendous loss. "I'm not telling you," Durant said in a response to a question about his emotions. "Because it's over with. Move on. We just move past it and figure out what we have to do better. No crazy emotions. It's not like we were upset and screaming at each other in the locker room after the game. That's not going to make things better." Westbrook's 14 points and 26.3 field-goal percentage were his lowest figures in six games this postseason.

ABOUT THE SPURS: Aldridge was a force by going 18-of-23 from the field and even knocked down a 3-point basket for the first time this season. "It was just one of those nights," Aldridge told reporters. "I can't take credit for it. I was just trying to play confident and ended up making some plays that I probably won't make the next game. It was enough for me." Leonard also shot superbly by making 10-of-13 from the field - the Spurs shot 60.7 percent as a team - and scored 20 of his 25 points in the first half.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Spurs were 18-of-22 from the field in the first quarter of Game 1 when they set a postseason franchise record with 43 points.

2. PF Serge Ibaka had a team-high 19 points in the opener and has scored in double digits in five of Oklahoma City's six postseason games.

3. San Antonio PG Tony Parker had 12 assists after averaging just 4.8 during the first-round series sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies.

PREDICTION: Spurs 105, Thunder 98

Announcement

NBA Betting Info. 5/2

NBA Betting Info. 5/2

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