Those checking out Preakness odds can appreciate the matchup in the NBA’s Western Conference finals between Oklahoma City and Dallas, as there are thoroughbreds all over the place in this series, and they raced out of the gate in Game 1. If you’re a fan of high-scoring games, you should get another one in Game 2 in Thursday.
Thunder vs. Mavericks Betting – Thursday, 9:00 PM ET
Kevin Durant had a huge night with 40 points, eight boards and five assists, but it wasn’t enough for the NBA odds as the Thunder fell 121-112 in Dallas in Game 1. Russell Westbrook added 20 points, but he had just three assists with four turnovers, and even those watching NHL highlights will tell you that isn’t a good enough ratio for a point guard, especially at this point in the playoffs. The Thunder managed to get to the line 43 times, making 37 of their free-throw attempts, but they couldn’t slow down the Dallas offense and in particular, their bench was outscored 53-22.
Jason Terry and J.J. Barea combined for 45 of those bench points, and the Mavericks will need more of those as the series goes on, but the story of Game 1 was Dirk Nowitzki, who went insane on the Thunder with 48 points, going 12-of-15 from the floor (without attempting a single three-pointer), and he was a perfect 24-of-24 from the foul line, which is an NBA playoff record. Nowitzki and the Mavericks picked up right from their four-game sweep of the two-time champion Lakers, shooting 53.4% from the floor, and if they keep that up, it’s tough to imagine anyone beating them in the last two rounds of the postseason.
Your sports bookie software will find the Mavericks as a 5-point favorite at home in Game 2, and NBA betting players have probably fallen in love with Dallas, who is a staggering 11-0 ATS so far in the playoffs, and they have yet to lose at home. The Thunder need to shore up on defense to slow down the Mavericks, and they shouldn’t feel too bad about giving up all of those points to Nowitzki; that’s going to happen because he’s just playing too well right now. Where the Thunder really have to pick it up is with the second unit, and they can’t allow Terry and Barea to drop another 45 points on them. Also, in what has been a running theme, Westbrook has to do a better job of distributing and taking care of the ball. He shot 3-of-15 from the floor, and that’s discouraging, but the assist-to-turnover is a bigger issue. Look for him to have a better game, and the bench will step up too, so lay a sports bet on Oklahoma City.
