**San Antonio at Oklahoma City**
— Oklahoma City (60-29 SU, 41-47-1 ATS) bounced back from a blowout loss in Game 1 to capture a 98-97 win as a 7.5-point underdog Monday at AT&T Center. The Thunder hooked up money-line supporters with a stellar +320 payout (paid $320 on $100 wagers). Kevin Durant buried a floater with 33 seconds remaining to put his team up 96-91, but San Antonio answered when LaMarcus Aldridge knocked down a 3-ball off an amazing pass from Tony Parker. With OKC leading by four after Russell Westbrook hit a pair of free throws, Aldridge gave Serge Ibaka a pump fake before taking a 3-pointer. Ibaka inexplicably fouled Aldridge in the act of shooting to provide three shots. Aldridge was true on all three from the charity stripe to slice the deficit to one. On the ensuing inbounds play from halfcourt after a timeout, Dion Waiters struggled to find an open man and just before passing the ball nailed Manu Ginobili with an elbow to clear space for a pass. Nevertheless, the entry to Durant was stolen by Danny Green, who eventually passed to Patty Mills, who missed a 3-pointer from the corner. With two seconds left, the teams battled for the rebound under the basket without a call being made. Alas, though it tried to hand San Antonio the game with a slew of knucklehead plays at crunch time, OKC emerged victorious to knot the series at 1-1.
— Westbrook produced 29 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot in the Game 2 triumph. Durant finished with 28 points, seven boards and four assists, while Ibaka, Enes Kanter and Steven Adams scored 12 points apiece. Adams brought down a game-high 17 rebounds, while Kanter had eight rebounds and three blocked shots.
— In the losing effort, Aldridge was sensational again with a game-best 41 points to go with eight rebounds, three assists and a pair of rejections. Kawhi Leonard and Ginobili were the only other Spurs in double figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Tim Duncan missed a bunch of high-percentage shots and had only two points on 1-of-8 shooting. Parker struggled too, finishing with seven points and six assists.
— For Friday’s Game 3, the Westgate opened OKC as a 1.5-point favorite early on Tuesday morning. The total was 199 points on the send-out. By lunch, however, the Spurs had moved into the 1.5-point ‘chalk’ role. Then on Wednesday, the Spurs were favored by two and that remained the number as of early Thursday night. The total moved from 199 to 200 on Thursday. The Spurs are -130 on the money line, leaving the Thunder at +110 to win outright (risk $100 to win $110). San Antonio is a one-half point favorite for first-half bets.
— San Antonio (72-16 SU, 48-40 ATS) smashed OKC in the series opener by winning a 124-92 decision as a 6.5-point home ‘chalk.’ The Spurs led by 33 at halftime and by 39 going into the final stanza. Aldridge was the catalyst with 38 points, while Leonard had 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. Leonard made 10-of-13 shots, while Aldridge hit 18-of-23 attempts from the field. Danny Green chipped in 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting from downtown.
— In the Game 1 defeat, Ibaka paced the Thunder with a team-best 19 points, but he’s been getting destroyed at the other end by Aldridge for eight consecutive quarters. Westbrook (5-of-19, 14 points) and Durant (6-of-15, 16 points) had mediocre performances in the series opener.
— OKC won both SU and ATS in a pair of regular-season meetings with San Antonio at home. On March 26, the Thunder cruised to a 111-92 win as a 12.5-point home favorite. Durant posted a double-double with 31 points and 10 rebounds, while Westbrook tallied 29 points, eight assists and six rebounds. We should obviously note that Duncan, Aldridge, Leonard and Parker did not play (rest).
— On Oct. 28, OKC won a 112-106 decision over the Spurs as a four-point home ‘chalk.’ Westbrook led the way with 33 points and 10 assists, while Leonard countered with 32 points in defeat. San Antonio played all of its players in this encounter.
— Gregg Popovich’s team owns a 29-14 SU record and a 22-21 ATS mark at home this year.
— Billy Donovan’s team is 34-10 SU and 21-22-1 ATS at home this season.
— The ‘under’ is 46-43 overall for the Thunder, 27-17 in its home games.
— The ‘over’ had hit in four consecutive games for the Thunder until Game 2 went ‘under’ the tally.
— The ‘under’ is 49-37-2 overall for San Antonio, 25-17-1 in its road assignments.
— The ‘under’ is on an 8-2 run in San Antonio’s last 10 games played at OKC.
— ESPN will have the telecast at 9:35 p.m. Eastern.
