The Oklahoma City Thunder and their top-ranked offense visit Golden State to play the Warriors and their first-ranked defense in Game of the Western Conference Finals. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Monday, May 30 and can be seen on TNT and C+D.
The Warriors were victorious over the Thunder 108-101 on Saturday. Stephen Curry fueled the Warriors, recording 31 points and 10 rebounds to notch his 18th double-double of the season.
This showdown pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Golden State currently ranks first in the NBA in offensive efficiency and Oklahoma City is second in defensive efficiency. Also, the Thunder’s second-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 110.2) will face off against the first-ranked defense of the Warriors (defensive efficiency of 101.5).
The Warriors look to build on their records of 84-14 Straight Up (SU) and 53-42-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 84-14 SU and 53-42-3 ATS versus the Western Conference. The Warriors come into the game with the top-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 114.4 points per game. The Warriors, sporting the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA (1.93), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Golden State’s three-point defense can be considered for best in the league. The Warriors allow an NBA-best .335 opponent three-point field goal percentage. Golden State is the league’s top scoring team off turnovers with an average of 17.4 points per game.
On the other side, Oklahoma City has a SU record of 66-33 and an ATS record of 46-50-3. Against the Western Conference, Oklahoma City is 66-33 SU and 46-50-3 ATS. They sport the second-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 109.8 points per game. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Thunder on the defensive end. They allowed 112.7 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 102.7.
Golden State beat Oklahoma City in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record to 6-4 over the Thunder in the last 10 games. The Warriors also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 5-4-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS
Notes
Oklahoma City has allowed an average of 106.5 points per away game this season. Golden State averages 115.9 points per home game, placing the team at the top of the NBA in scoring.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Golden State Warriors are a superb 32-2. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a subpar record of 5-17.
The Warriors have a 52-12 record when they allow at least 100 points. The Thunder have also performed well when they reach the century mark with a record of 61-16 in such games.
The Warriors have the top-ranked offense this season, averaging 112.5 points per 100 possessions. The Thunder have one of the best defenses, allowing 103.6 points in the same number of possessions (ranked second).
The Golden State Warriors average 101.7 possessions and 1.125 points per possession in games this season. The Oklahoma City Thunder average fewer possessions with 99.6, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.102.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with an EFF% of 52.1%. The Golden State Warriors have a winning 15-7 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher EFF%.
The Golden State Warriors, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.93, rank second in the NBA. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a lower A/TO (1.48), ranking 24th.
Oklahoma City is at the top of the NBA when it comes to rebounding with 48.3 per game. On the other side, Golden State also grabs a lot of rebounds, with a rank of fourth (45.9 per game).
The Oklahoma City Thunder rank at the top of the league in offensive rebounding, but the Golden State Warriors are the best at defensive rebounding in the NBA.
On average, the Warriors force a turnover rate of 13.8%, ranked first in the NBA. When the Thunder turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 41-25 record.
