Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals takes place on Monday as the series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs shifts back to San Antonio . The game is scheduled for an 9:00 pm start time and it will be televised live on TNT. Currently the odds have San Antonio favored by 5 points with the total sitting at 202 points for the contest. 

Free Analysis: The Thunder took care of business at home with two straight victories, but to keep the win streak intact for Monday’s Game 5, they will need to hand the Spurs their first home loss since April 11. San Antonio has run off 11 straight wins (9-1-1 ATS) at AT&T Center, beating Oklahoma City 101-98 in Game 1 and 120-111 in Game 2. The Spurs are 16-2 (12-5-1 ATS) at home versus the Thunder since 2005, scoring 105.5 PPG during a current six-game home win streak against them. The Spurs had a balanced attack in Saturday’s loss, as eight players scored at least seven points. C Tim Duncan led the way with 21 points and eight rebounds, making 9-of-17 shots, which was quite an improvement from his 7-for-26 FG clip in Games 2 and 3. PG Tony Parker had his worst game of the series on Saturday with a meager 12 points (5-of-15 FG) and four assists. But Parker has been outstanding at home in the 2012 playoffs with 21.2 PPG (51% FG) and 7.8 APG. In his last game at AT&T Center in Game 2, Parker scored 34 points on 16-of-21 FG, and also dished out eight assists. SG Manu Ginobili has also been much more effective at home in this series (23.0 PPG on 60% FG) than on the road (10.5 PPG on 42% FG). San Antonio shot 50% from the floor and 48% from three-point range (11-of-23) in Game 4, but Oklahoma City shot a blistering 56.4% FG and outrebounded its opponent 41-31. Oklahoma City evened up the West Finals with a 109-103 victory on Saturday. PF Serge Ibaka chipped in 26 points on a perfect 11-of-11 shooting night. In addition to Ibaka’s 11-of-11 heroics on Saturday, C Kendrick Perkins also had his highest-scoring game since March 25, pumping in 15 points on 7-of-9 FG. Perkins also grabbed nine rebounds, a number he has surpassed just once this postseason. Durant’s (36 Points in Game 4) consistency in the 2012 playoffs has been remarkable, as the Thunder star has scored at least 22 points in each game. He’s now averaging 29.0 PPG (53.4% FG), 6.8 RPG and 5.5 APG in the West Finals. The other Oklahoma City star, PG Russell Westbrook, scored 23.7 PPG in his first 11 playoff games, but has seen a sharp decline in his offense over the past two contests with a mere 17 points on 7-of-25 FG. His other numbers have remained strong though, with 14 assists, 11 rebounds and five steals in his team’s two victories. Sixth-man extraordinaire SG James Harden has scored in double-figures in each of his 13 playoff games, but he was a dismal 4-for-13 in Game 4. Oklahoma City has the NBA’s third-best road record this season at 24-15, and is a strong 22-16-1 ATS away from home. San Antonio is 34-5 SU (28-9-2 ATS) at home this season, outscoring visitors by 12.4 PPG.

Free Pick: Game 5 expects to be high-scoring again as the Thunder are putting up 101.5 PPG on 46.4% FG in the 2012 playoffs, while the Spurs are even more explosive at 102.2 PPG on 48.6% FG. Both teams have really been shooting the ball well in the series and they have really been looking to push the pace. 7 of the last 10 in this series has put up at least 203 points, while those 10 games have averaged 206.2 ppg, including an average of 211.5 ppg being scored in the last 4 games played here. The Spurs have averaged 106.3 ppg at home this year, while the Thunder has averaged 100.3 ppg on the road, so both teams really have the ability to hit the century mark in this one. Defensively the Spurs have struggled of late, allowing 103.8 ppg in their last 5 games, while the Thunder has allowed 99.3 ppg in their last 7 overall and 103.4 ppg in their last 5 road games if these playoffs. I expect this one to approach 210 points and go OVER the total with ease.    

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Betting Strategies: Handicapping NBA Playoffs
Host Marco D'Angelo and Pregame Pro Vegas Runner discuss their strategies about betting the NBA Playoffs and being successful.