NBA Playoffs
Western Conference Finals
Tip-off: Monday, 9:00 p.m. ET
Line: Golden State -7.0, Total: 218.0

Both the Thunder and the Warriors will be looking to claim a spot in the NBA Finals with a victory in Game 7 on Monday.

The Warriors once trailed 3-1 in this series, but they earned a gutsy 108-101 victory as three-point road underdogs in Game 6 on Saturday. This series is now all tied up and both teams have won-and-covered in three contests. The big difference for the Warriors has been their ability to do a bit better on the glass in this series. They were outrebounded by 33 in Games 3 and 4 of this series, but have only been outrebounded by two in the past two games. Golden State will need to continue to fight on the boards or the team could easily find a way to lose this Game 7 on Monday. The Warriors are, however, 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS when hosting the Thunder over the past three seasons. One trend that sticks out and favors the Thunder is that Oklahoma City is 16-7 ATS revenging a same season loss versus an opponent this season. The Warriors, meanwhile, are 22-8 ATS after two straight games where they had 10 or more steals over the past two seasons. Both teams will be at full strength coming into this one, so injuries should not play a major factor in this exciting Game 7 matchup.

The Thunder had a chance to win this series on their home floor, but they collapsed late in the game and ended up allowing the Warriors to push this series to Game 7. If Oklahoma City is going to win this game on Monday then PG Russell Westbrook (26.4 PPG, 10.9 APG, 6.9 RPG, 2.6 SPG in playoffs) will need to be a lot better than he was in Game 6. He had 28 points, 11 assists and nine boards in that game, but he was also a miserable 10-for-27 from the floor and 0-for-5 from three. Westbrook was not shooting the ball well and needs to be a lot better on Monday. He also needs to cut down on his turnovers, as five is too many to win against a team like Golden State. SF Kevin Durant (28.5 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 1.0 SPG in playoffs) must also play at a much higher level on Monday. He was just 10-for-31 from the field and 1-for-8 from three in Game 6 and that is just not going to cut it in this one. The Thunder need Durant to make some shots or this series is going to go down as one of the biggest missed opportunities of his career.

The Warriors have shocked a lot of people by battling back from a 3-1 deficit in this series and the reason they were able to win Game 6 was because SG Klay Thompson (26.5 PPG, 1.1 SPG in playoffs) was as hot as could be. Thompson scored 41 points in that game and was an absurd 11-for-18 from three. He hit some ridiculously deep shots and did not have much room to get them off either. He’ll be hoping to carry that momentum into Game 7 on Monday. PG Stephen Curry (25.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 5.9 APG, 2.0 SPG in playoffs) also played very well in Game 6, finishing the contest with 31 points, 10 boards and nine assists. Curry, like Thompson, hit some huge shots late and is now averaging 31.0 PPG over the past two contests. If he can stay hot then the Warriors should be able to win this game and advance to the Finals. It’s just a matter of whether or not Curry’s knee is feeling good when the ball tips on Monday.