*Record 3-1*
Last night was close… too close. But that’s the thrill of gambling. I had to frantically watch as both my picks barely covered the spread in overtime. By the skin of my teeth. When it was all said and done, I may or may not have had a little Jerry Maguire moment. Alas, I have more work to do and tonight we have the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs battling it out in a decisive Game 5. After the Thunder’s 111-97 win on Sunday, the series is currently tied at 2-2.
Oklahoma City Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs
The visiting Thunder are currently listed as the 7 point underdog making this a real tough one to pick. Durant ignited the Thunder both offensively and defensively in Game 4. He finished with 41 points, while holding Kawhi Leonard to 0 points on 0-5 shooting in the 4th quarter. If Durant can provide the same type of defensive intensity in Game 5, he will make life real difficult for Leonard. As for the Spurs, a team that prides themselves in their ball movement have seen it crumble since Game 1. After collecting a total of 39 assists in Game 1, the Spurs had 19 assists in the next two games and only 12 in Game 4. My brain is telling me to take the Spurs. They are dominant on their home court and will surely solve their offensive mishaps, after all they’ve done it before. In addition, the Thunder are 1-10-1 ATS in their last 12 games when labeled as an underdog of 7 points or less. But my heart tells me to take the Thunder. This team has found their way both offensively and defensively. Kevin Durant took a charge for crying out loud! I like this game to go down to the wire, which is why I’m taking the Thunder with the 7 point spread. In the end, I think the Spurs pull it, but not by 7 points.
Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder (+7, -110)
