Oklahoma City has moved back into the discussion as a contender in the Western Conference and can solidify its position with San Antonio and Golden State with a win Saturday. OKC hosts the Spurs, who are playing for the third time in four nights and the second of a back-to-back.
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SCHEDULING
The Spurs face a tough test in this one. Not only are the Thunder playing well and seemingly put the post-break struggles behind them, San Antonio will be playing its third game in four nights, fifth in eight days, and the second of a back-to-back when they enter Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday night. The back-to-backs haven’t affected the Spurs too much this season; they are 14-0 SU and 9-5 ATS after all. But five games in a week is an awful lot, even for a team that uses its bench as much as San Antonio.
That brutal 4-8 stretch the Thunder went through after the All-Star break is a thing of the past. OKC won for the fifth consecutive time since losing in San Antonio on Mar. 12, beating Houston 111-107 on Tuesday night, and the offense has been clicking. Their point total against the Rockets was the lowest in that five-game stretch. Following Saturday’s contest, the Thunder play seven of their remaining nine games on the road, and while they’ve distanced themselves from the Clippers in the West, it would be nice to keep building some momentum with the playoffs just a few weeks away.
INJURIES
The Spurs have no injuries reported, but being a back-to-back and third game in four nights, a typical move by coach Gregg Popovich would be to rest some, or all, of his aging stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Reserve forward Kyle Singler sat out Tuesday’s game with Houston due to a sore back and is listed as day-to-day moving forward.
KEY MATCHUP
Russell Westbrook has become a triple-double machine, and if he put up those ridiculous numbers every game the Thunder would be the first team in NBA history to go undefeated. Westbrook went triple-double for the third straight game, producing 21 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds in Tuesday’s win over Houston, and OKC improved to 15-0 this season when he does that. The Thunder point guard will look to atone for one of his poorer outings this season when he faces the Spurs. In a primetime matchup at San Antonio on Mar. 12, Westbrook had more turnovers than assists and OKC matched its lowest point total of he season in a 93-85 loss. In five games since then, the Thunder averaged 119.0 points per game and Westbrook has four triple-doubles with averages of 19.2 points, 12.0 assists and 10.8 rebounds. Westbrook solved the Spurs defense for 33 points on 12 of 23 shooting, and 10 assists in OKC’s home win in the season opener.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
San Antonio hasn’t lost in the second game of its 14 back-to-backs this season, but the Spurs will be severely tested by a Thunder team that found its groove. The last time these teams met, the Spurs’ top-ranked defense clamped down, holding OKC to 38.3 percent shooting and 11.1 percent from behind the arc. It resulted in the Thunder’s lowest point total of the NBA season. That game was the low point of OKC’s season, its eighth loss in 12 games after the break and the questions were endless. But a strange thing happened on the way to fourth place in the West, the Thunder turned things around. The Spurs, who will be playing their fifth game in a week span, are sure to be worn down and the Thunder will look to take advantage of that scheduling.
Oklahoma City 110, San Antonio 105
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