San Antonio (2-3) at Oklahoma City (3-2)
When: Thursday, May 12th 2016
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
Time: 8:05 ET | TV: TNT
The Oklahoma City Thunder have two chances to advance to the Western Conference Finals when they take on the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of their semifinal series Thursday night at home. The Spurs dominated Game 1 by 32 points and it looked as if the series would be over quickly, but the Thunder have responded in a big way. Point guard Russell Westbrook had 35 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in the 95-91 Game 5 victory in San Antonio. It was the second straight road win this series for the Thunder. The Spurs only lost one game during the regular season in San Antonio. Kevin Durant scored 23 points on a series-worst 8-of-21 shooting effort after his spectacular 41-point effort in Game 4. Center Steven Adams has been a difference-maker with three double-doubles while averaging 10.2 points and 12 rebounds in the series. “Late in the fourth we did a good job of putting a hand up on shots, making them shoot mid-range and we didn’t let them get in the paint a lot.” Durant told reporters. “That’s what we have to do if we want to win the next one. We have to play defense like that throughout the whole game.”
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San Antonio has held double-digit leads in the each of the past two games before wilting under Oklahoma City’s late-game siege. “I hope we respond a little angry, with a chip on our shoulder,” Spurs guard Danny Green told reporters after Tuesday’s 95-91 loss. “If you want to be a championship team, you have to win on the road. Simple as that.” NBA MVP runner-up Kawhi Leonard (26 points, five steals in Game 5) and power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (20 points, nine rebounds) have carried San Antonio during the series with occasional help from shooting guard Danny Green (six 3-pointers in Game 5) and point guard Tony Parker. The reserves on the other hand, have been below par and combined for just 11 points on 5-of-18 shooting in Game 5. The Spurs could probably just sit Tim Duncan the whole game as the future Hall-of-Famer was a complete non-factor again in Game 5 with five points and three rebounds in 28 minutes.
The crowd tonight is going to be rocking. The Thunder have all the momentum right now and the Spurs are looking old and tired. I think Oklahoma City completes the upset tonight and moves on to the Western Conference Finals.
Pick: Thunder +1.5
