Sports betting odds don’t favor Oklahoma City in the NBA Playoffs but it may not be smart to sell the Thunder short. They have league scoring leader Kevin Durant and a lot of young talent that can make a sportsbetting impact.Sports betting odds for the playoffs have not been set yet as the regular season ends on Wednesday. The Thunder could finish 6th, 7th or 8th in the standings. They don’t want to finish 8th as that would mean a matchup in the first round against the Lakers. Anything else would be fine. The Thunder are not going to be afraid of any team in the playoffs but the Lakers would have a definite edge against them in terms of experience.
The Thunder does not have many players that have been in the playoffs before. Only Darren Collison, Nenad Krstic and Thabo Sefolosha have playoff experience and it is not much. “In most situations, it takes going through it and getting beat up,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “I was with Denver for three of the first five years of their first-round knockouts. It took them five years to break through, and that was the case last season”
Oklahoma City was tied with Portland and San Antonio for the sixth spot. The Thunder has not played as well recently in sports betting, losing three of their last four. They could have taken the sixth spot alone but lost on Sunday 120-117 to Golden State. The Thunder blew a 20-point lead in that game. “The way we played tonight is unacceptable,” Brooks said.
Oklahoma City is getting prepared for what they will face in the playoffs. “It has been physical since the All-Star break,” Durant said. “I have seen everything. I am looking forward to seeing how things are going to play out.” The Thunder may not have experience but they have a lot of talent and a lot of confidence and could be a team to watch in sportsbetting. “There is no doubt we are a young team,” Brooks said. “The numbers say that. But when I talk to our team, I never mention their age. I view our guys as NBA players. And I really believe we can beat whoever we play. It is very close. It is a very competitive Western Conference. There are a lot of good teams and we will give ourselves a chance to play and win with the way we commit to each other. A team is going to have to play really well to beat us.”