The sooner the series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks is over, the sooner tensions will settle down between these two. Kevin Durant has been involved in so many shenanigans that he legitimately could find himself suspended for Game 5 of this series, especially after getting tossed for a Flagrant 2 foul at the end of Game 4.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
This becomes an awfully tricky game to line depending upon what's going on with Durant. Oklahoma City is 3-1 SU and ATS in this series, and if you take away that blip that was Game 2, for the most part, it has been the dominating side. The Thunder will want to get this series over as early as possible to start getting ready for a series with San Antonio, and as a result, they'll almost surely be double-digit chalks again.
But what if Durant does get suspended? Just as we saw Golden State come crashing down against Houston in Games 2 and 3 when it was announced he wouldn't play, we could end up in a similar situation here in Game 5 of this series.
SERIES RECAP
This has been all about physicality. Dallas had its success when it mucked up Game 2 and held the total scoring to just 169 points. When the Thunder have gotten out to run though, the Mavs have been dead and haven't been able to find answers.
Oklahoma City scored 250 points in the two games played in Dallas, and even though the Mavericks have some scorers, they were still just an average team from an offensive perspective this season, and outside of some jump shots, Dirk Nowitzki looks completely useless on both sides of the court.
INJURIES
Deron Williams got dinged up again right at the outset of Game 4. The vet has been battling core injuries for a while now, and he lasted just two minutes in Game 4 before coming out. J.J. Barea had to run the show for much of the game with Devin Harris, and neither proved to be effective.
By Sunday night, we should know if Durant is or is not going to be available for this game.
LIVE BETTING
What's gotten lost in the middle of all of this physical play in this series is that Enes Kanter has really evolved into a legitimate threat. He's got 49 points off the bench in just 48 minutes, and he's shooting the ball well from the outside as well as doing some of the dirty work in the paint. When he's the big on the floor, he's forcing Nowitzki to play some defense away from the basket, and that just isn't working out well for a Dallas team which is very slow in the interior.
QUICK PICK
With or without Durant, this series is over. The Mavericks just don't have the horses to keep up with the Thunder for 48 minutes, and we've seen that time and time again. It took Durant missing 26 shots with seven turnovers in Game 2 to win a game, and if he's able to play in this one, we suspect he's going to go off.
If Durant doesn't play, we'd be hesitant to lay double digits, but with him, we look for a 20+ point win for the Thunder.
NBA Odds: Oklahoma City 112, Dallas 89
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