NBA Playoffs
Western Conference – Round 2
Tip-off: Monday, 9:35 p.m. ET
Line: San Antonio -7.5, Total: 202.5

The Spurs will be hoping to take a 2-0 series lead when they host the Thunder in Game 2 on Monday.

Game 1 of this series was one of the most lopsided affairs of the 2016 postseason, as San Antonio won that game 124-92 as a 6.5-point favorite. The Spurs shot an incredible 60.7% from the floor in that game and also held the Thunder to just 41.2% shooting. Oklahoma City had shot 50% or better from the floor in three straight games, so it was certainly not the type of effort the team was hoping for on Saturday. The Spurs, meanwhile, have now shot 45% or better from the floor in six straight games and are thriving offensively. They’ll be hoping to keep it up at home, where they are 7-3 SU against the Thunder over the past three seasons. One trend that really sticks out when looking at this game is that the Spurs are 15-5 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 12 points this season. They’re also 21-9 ATS in home games after two straight games where they made nine or more threes over the past three seasons. Both of these teams have guys that are a bit banged up, but nobody is expected to miss this game for either squad.

The Thunder were embarrassed in Game 1 of this series and the team is going to need to use that as motivation to try to come out and earn a win on Monday. Although Oklahoma City had 23 assists in the game, the team did not move the ball very well. There were a ton of possessions that did not have a single pass and that will need to change moving forward. PG Russell Westbrook (24.0 PPG, 10.8 APG, 6.3 APG, 1.7 SPG in playoffs) is really going to need to be better on Monday. He was just 5-for-19 from the floor and 0-for-3 from the outside in the game. Westbrook finished with 14 points and nine assists and Oklahoma City needs him to have the same effectiveness that he had during the regular season. He is a lot faster and more athletic than the Spurs’ guards, so he should be able to find some success in the remainder of this series. SF Kevin Durant (24.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.7 APG in playoffs) will also need to be better moving forward. Durant had just 16 points on 6-for-15 shooting from the field and that is not going to be good enough for the Thunder in this series. Durant must be scoring around 25 points or Oklahoma City is going to get destroyed in this series.

The Spurs were outstanding in Game 1 and the guy that really stepped it up was PF LaMarcus Aldridge (19.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.8 BPG in playoffs). Aldridge had his most impressive game of the year on Saturday, finishing with 38 points, six rebounds and two blocks in 30 minutes of action. It was his efficiency that was astounding, as Aldridge went 18-for-23 from the floor. The Thunder did not have an answer for him anywhere and the Spurs will certainly look to go to him more often moving forward. SF Kawhi Leonard (22.2 PPG, 2.2 BPG, 2.2 SPG in playoffs) was also great for the Spurs, finishing with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists on 10-for-13 shooting from the floor. He’ll need to continue to score the basketball, but he’s also being counted on to stop Kevin Durant in this series. If he can contain him on Monday then the Spurs will likely come away with a victory in this one.