The Oklahoma City Thunder are just 4-6 straight up and 5-5 against the spread over their last 10 games after losing Game 2 of their first-round series on Monday. The Thunder will try to get back on track this Thursday night facing off against the Mavericks in Dallas.
Thunder vs. Mavericks, 2016 NBA playoffs odds: Oklahoma City looks for rebound in Game 3
After losing Game 2 on Monday, Oklahoma City will be looking to squash Dallas’ momentum with a win as a road betting favorite in Game 3.
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Oklahoma City is an 8.5-point road favorite in Game 3 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. In their last 13 games as a road favorite, the Thunder are 9-4 SU and 7-5-1 ATS.
Led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder finished the regular season second in scoring only to the Golden State Warriors with 110.2 points per game. But the offense wasn’t there on Monday night as the two superstars combined for just 40 points, going 15-of-55 from the floor and 3-of-17 from three-point range in an 85-84 home loss to the Mavericks.
This was just the second time this season that the Thunder have been held to under 85 points, with the previous occasion coming in Detroit on a night that Durant didn’t play.
To retake control of the series, Oklahoma City will need to win in Dallas, where the Mavericks are 13-6 SU and 13-5-1 ATS in their last 19 playoff games per the OddsShark NBA Database.
With Chandler Parsons, J.J. Barea and David Lee out with injuries and Deron Williams hobbled with a sports hernia, the Mavericks were 14-point underdogs in Monday night’s game. But after losing Game 1 by 38 points, Dallas fought back with a tenacious effort on defense to steal Game 2 in what could be the biggest surprise of the first round.
The Mavericks entered the postseason on a 7-2 SU and 6-3 ATS run, and their performance in Game 2 suggests they don’t plan on going down without a fight.
Thursday's total is set at 196.5 points on the NBA betting lines. The UNDER is 4-0 in Oklahoma City's last four games and 9-2 in Dallas' last 11 games.
If Oklahoma City gets back in sync on offense, this battered-up Mavericks team isn’t likely to be able to keep up. But if Dallas’ defensive system and slow pace can control the tempo of the game, the Mavericks could give the Thunder another scare in Dallas.
