The NBA Playoffs continue Monday night in Game 5 between the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. The NBA Playoff odds for the game have the visiting Spurs favored by 5 points. The game is scheduled for an 9:00 pm start time and it will be televised live on TNT. The spread shows that bookmakers have a prediction of a close win at home for the Spurs.
Picks: What looked like a beatdown for the Spurs on their way to the NBA Finals turned into a great series. Oklahoma City took care of business and won both games at home to even the series at 2-2 as it heads back to Texas tonight. We've enjoyed the shorter times between series games the NBA has implemented as it no longer takes a month to finish a conference finals. In fact, during the span of the last three days, the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs as many times as they had in the past three years. Confidence building for sure. Now the series slows down a bit and will be a best of three. It's actually been awhile since the Thunder played well enough to beat the Spurs on a consistent basis. James Harden joined Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on the Thunder in 2009 and since then, the Spurs have beaten OKC eight times in 10 games. Well, prior to this series anyway. Durant is averaging 29 points per game in this series but it's also been up to the role players for both clubs. OKC's Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison connected on 22 of 25 shots to score 49 points in Game 4 on Saturday, helping the Thunder even the series. The Spurs are going to have to get better play from guys like Stephen Jackson and DeJuan Blair. The Spurs' Big 3 have played well to this point in the series and should have a major impact on tonight's game. The Thunder are 7-0 at home in the playoffs and 3-3 on the road, which could also prove to be a major factor in tonight's contest as well. Expect a great game overall.
Prediction: It's a bit tough not to fade the Thunder when they are on the road in the playoffs. Let's face it, Oklahoma City is a much better team at home and they've had their struggled away from their home court. However, all of that could chance tonight if they pick up a win. A victory tonight by the Thunder on the road could destroy San Antonio's confidence for good. I think the Spurs are probably going to win this game, but I think the Thunder keep it VERY close. We'll take Oklahoma City and the five points and plan for a one-possession game at the end.
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