In game 2 of the NBA Playoffs the Thunder lost a key matchup against the Mavericks and put themselves in a corner. Kevin Durant, their star player, had a rare off night missing some key shot all throughout the game. Even with that going on, the Thunder managed to keep a close game, and barely lose it by fractions of a second. After the loss, sports betting fans, pundits, analysts, the dog, the cat, all pointed a finger at Kevin Durant. At game 3, the Slim Reaper… er, sorry, The Servant woke up in a big way and lead the Thunder to a much needed win at Dallas, silencing a loud American Airlines Arena.
The Mavericks were hoping to take NBA Playoffs advantage of an excited Dallas crowd to have the Thunder shook and hopefully be able to take the lead in the series for game 4 to be played also in Dallas. However, despite having a much better game than in their previous encounters, and that’s including Game 2, the Mavericks faced a determined and focused Thunder team. This game was never in doubt as Oklahoma City dominated in every single quarter. The Thunder covered the spread and went for the over in total points for online betting on basketball.
The key to their win was Durant’s 34 points, if OKC wants to leave a mark on the playoffs and be a contender for the title, right up there with the Warriors and the Spurs, Durant must be on point, he is a fundamental key for this Thunder’s offense. If he is catching fire, it will allow Russell Westbrook to play without pressure. On game 3 Westbrook managed to score 26 points and be all over the court, helping on both ends.
As enough as it is for both all-stars to have strong performances, the help the Thunder got from their bench was also crucial. Enes Kanter and Dion Waiters produced a total of 40 points that helped this game from getting away from them. And in the end all managed to ad up perfectly to a rout win of 131-102 in the NBA Playoffs.
This loss for the Mavericks might be devastating for them. They had the momentum, the home crowd, Mark Cuban’s “Braveheart” speech, and the excitement of taking a lead at home. Not just losing, but losing big, leaves them in dire need to jump back and get Game 4 at no matter what cost. They can’t go back to Oklahoma City with a 3-1 deficit; the series would be over for them. Currently the online betting line for game 4 has them as under dogs:
Thunder -9½ (-110)
Mavericks +9½ (-110)
Also, it should be interesting to point out that the Total line for Game 4, has changed from Game 3 as it now is 201½, anticipating that Durant will stay hot this Saturday.
Of course the line is subject to change and it very likely will when it comes down to the final minutes before game time. Keep your eyes on SBG Global sportsbook, for any further changes and the best online betting on basketball.