NBA Playoffs
Western Conference Finals
Tip-off: Wednesday, 9:05 p.m. ET
Line: Golden State -8.5, Total: 222.0

The Warriors will be looking to prevent a 2-0 series deficit when they host the Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday.

The Thunder faced a 14-point deficit in Game 1 of this series, but they fought back and ended up winning 108-102 as eight-point road underdogs. Oklahoma City played a very good game on both ends of the floor and one thing that sticks out is that the Thunder turned the ball over just 11 times. They’ll have a chance to win every game in this series as long as they can avoid coughing the ball up. The Warriors, meanwhile, are not going to be happy with their Game 1 performance. There were a few points in the game where it seemed as if they were going to blow it open, but they turned the ball over 14 times and shot just 44.0% from the floor. It was the first time the Warriors shot less than 45% from the field since Game 3 against the Rockets in the opening round. Even after the Game 1 loss, Golden State is still 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS when hosting Oklahoma City over the past three seasons. One trend to keep an eye on when looking at this game is the fact that the Warriors are 30-13 ATS revenging a straight up loss as a favorite versus an opponent over the past three seasons. Both teams are expected to be at full strength when they take the floor on Wednesday.

The Thunder shocked the world by defeating the Warriors in Game 1 on Monday. PG Russell Westbrook (25.7 PPG, 10.9 APG, 6.8 RPG, 2.3 SPG in playoffs) really played a good game on both ends of the floor in the victory. He finished the contest with 27 points and 12 assists, but he also had seven steals on the defensive end. He has been relentless when attacking the rim, but he’s also 7-for-17 from the outside over the past three games. When Westbrook is shooting the ball well, the rest of his game is really able to come easier for him. He will, however, need to continue to play good defense on Steph Curry moving forward. SF Kevin Durant (27.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.6 APG in playoffs) struggled a bit with his shot, going just 10-for-30 from the floor in the game. He did, however, have 26 points and 10 rebounds and also hit a clutch jumper late in the fourth quarter that sealed the game for the Thunder. He’ll need to continue to be aggressive in the remainder of this series, as he’s a huge mismatch for all the guys that the Warriors are throwing at him on the defensive end.

The Warriors are going to play Game 2 with a ton of desperation, as they know that this series might be over if they lose on their home floor on Wednesday. One guy that is going to need to come out and play well is PG Stephen Curry (25.0 PPG, 6.6 APG, 6.2 RPG, 1.6 SPG in playoffs). Curry had 26 points, 10 boards and seven assists in Game 1, but he was just 9-for-22 from the floor and turned the ball over a miserable seven times. Golden State needs the MVP to be more efficient in the remainder of this series or the team’s magical season could be coming to an end sooner than planned. PF Draymond Green (18.2 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 6.7 APG, 2.3 BPG, 1.5 SPG in playoffs) is also going to need to be better for the Warriors. He had just five rebounds and four assists in Game 1 and that is not going to be good enough for Golden State moving forward. Green is one of the team’s best rebounders and passers and he must display that the rest of this series. SG Klay Thompson (27.0 PPG, 1.1 SPG in playoffs) played a very good game for the Warriors in Game 1, though. He had 25 points, nine boards and four assists on 11-for-25 shooting from the floor. If he can continue to knock down shots and play good defense then the Warriors should find their way back into this series.