Tip-off: Monday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Golden State -3.5, Total: 218

Monday night provides a star-studded matchup between two hot teams, as the visiting Thunder look for their first win in three tries against the Warriors this season.

Oklahoma City may have struggled at the beginning of the season without its two superstars, but the returns of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have brought back success to the team that is 4-1 SU (2-3 ATS) over the past five games. During a current two-game win streak, the Thunder are averaging 123.0 PPG on 47% FG, which includes a solid victory in their most recent game on Friday when they took down the Wizards at home by a score of 109-102 as 7.5-point favorites while hitting 44-of-83 shots (53% FG). They have also done a great job with ball security, committing fewer than 13 turnovers for the fourth time in the past six games. Golden State has continued to be the cream of the crop in the NBA this year and brings a three-game SU winning streak (2-1 ATS) into this one as where it is defeating opponents by an average of 24.7 PPG. This is one of the most efficient teams in the league with a 51%+ FG clip in five of the past nine contests, which all resulted in wins. The Warriors took on a tough Eastern Conference team in the Raptors on Friday and rolled to a decisive 126-105 victory as 4-point favorites at home in a game where they made 53.3% of their field goal attempts with just nine turnovers. The road has not been a welcomed place for Oklahoma City thus far in the 2014-15 campaign as it is 7-10 SU (5-11-1 ATS) away from home, while Golden State is a nearly perfect 13-1 SU (10-4 ATS) when playing in front of its hometown faithful. The matchup between these teams has been a good one over the past three seasons with the Thunder holding a slight 5-4 SU edge while going 6-3 ATS. This year has gone to the Warriors though, as they have won the first two meetings between the clubs by five points each time, while the duo of Durant and Westbrook combined for just six quarters in that time. Bettors should know that Oklahoma City is a solid 150-106 ATS (59%) after a game where it failed to cover the spread since 1996, while Golden State is 15-2 ATS (88%) in home games after a combined score of 205+ points in two straight games over the past three seasons. On the injury front, it looks as if the Thunder will be playing at full strength, while the Warriors remain without big men C Andrew Bogut (knee) and C Festus Ezeli (ankle).

Can the Thunder pull off an impressive win in Oakland on Monday night? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Forecaster has a strong 56% ATS record (88-69-1) in featured games this season. In terms of Best Bets, StatFox Scott is a sizzling 80% ATS (8-2) in Best Bets since Dec. 21, improving his record to 54% ATS (27-23) for the season. StatFox Brian is 61% ATS (17-11) in Best Bets since Nov. 29, and is now 54% ATS (27-23) in season Best Bets, while StatFox Gary is 56% ATS (15-12) in NBA Best Bets since Nov. 29, and is now 54% ATS (27-23) this season.

Oklahoma City has been showing tons more on offense since the return of their stars, scoring 112.7 PPG on 46.9% FG over the past six games, which dwarfs its season averages of 99.4 PPG on 44.6% FG overall on the season. On the other hand, the Thunder have excelled on the defensive side of the court, holding opponents to a mere 97.4 PPG (4th in NBA) on 42.9% shooting (2nd in league). PG Russell Westbrook (27.3 PPG, 7.1 APG, 5.5 RPG, 2.3 SPG) is putting up MVP-caliber numbers, but has struggled from the floor in the past three games (32% FG). He put up some nice numbers in Dec. 18 loss against the Warriors (33 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) and has gone for 22.3 PPG (43% FG), 7.1 APG, 4.7 RPG and 2.8 SPG over 21 career meetings. SF Kevin Durant (25.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.7 SPG) has taken a back seat to Westbrook, as he works through his foot injury, but seems to have found his rhythm over the past two games with 39.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 4.5 APG after missing his previous six contests. He suffered a sprained right ankle when he faced the Warriors on Dec. 18, but not before he dropped a career-high 30 first-half points, giving him 30.7 PPG (52% FG), 8.4 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.2 SPG and 1.2 BPG against Golden State in 25 career games. PF Serge Ibaka (14.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.2 BPG) has slid back into his support role with two double-doubles in his past four games, but has failed to record a block in two of those performances as well. He had a total of eight blocks in his two meetings with the Warriors this season, and a repeat performance should be expected, as he has swatted away 2.4 BPG to go along with 13.7 PPG (57% FG) and 7.9 RPG in his 18 career games (13 starts) in this series.

Golden State’s offense has been electric with 108.6 PPG (2nd in league) behind an NBA-best 48.3% shooting from the floor. As usual, the club has been hitting a large amount of threes with 9.7 makes per game (6th in league) at a 37.4% clip (6th in NBA). The Warriors have also been solid on the other side of the ball while giving up 98.5 PPG (8th in league), as they have held the opposition to 42.2% shooting (best in NBA). PG Stephen Curry (23.1 PPG, 7.8 APG, 5.0 RPG, 2.1 SPG) is coming off a monster performance against Toronto (32 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal) and had no trouble putting up big numbers the last time he faced the Thunder (34 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 4 steals). Overall in his 19 career contests against this club, he has netted 23.8 PPG (50% FG) to go along with 7.0 APG, 4.4 RPG and 1.8 SPG. SG Klay Thompson (21.0 PPG, 1.3 SPG, 43% threes) ranks 12th in the league with his efficiency from long range and should be fresh after playing fewer than 30 minutes in each of the team’s past three easy wins. He has faced Oklahoma City 12 times (9 starts) in his career, tallying 15.3 PPG (44% FG) as he has hit 29-of-66 three-pointers (44% threes). SF Draymond Green (12.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 1.5 SPG) has emerged as the key player for this team and is coming off a huge triple-double (16 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds) while adding two steals and two blocks against Toronto. He has played some complete games against the Thunder in the two games this season as well, averaging 13.0 PPG (40% FG), 9.0 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.5 BPG and 1.0 SPG.