The Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder are set to tip off Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals at 9 PM EST tonight on ESPN. The Warriors and Thunder are two of the league’s most potent offensive teams, and this should be a fast-paced, exciting series.
The teams both feature some of the best scorers in the league today, from “The Splash Brothers” of the Golden State Warriors to the threatening tandem that is Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Let us take a look at the scoring prop bets this series offers at oddsmaker Bovada.
Draymond Green: Over/Under 14.5 points
PUSH. Draymond Green had some absolutely monster games scoring-wise with Stephen Curry on the shelf. Can he continue that production with the Warriors’ leading scorer back in the lineup? Green had 37 points on 13 of 23 shooting against the Blazers on May 7th, but in Games 4 and 5 he averaged 17 points per game too. The most recent game came with Curry back in the lineup, and he scored 13 points on just seven field goal attempts. Will Draymond look for his offense enough to put up 15 points? It seems like one to avoid wagering a guess on.
Harrison Barnes: Over/Under 10.5 points
UNDER. Harrison Barnes has scored 10 points or less in four of his past five games and is averaging 9.6 points per game over that span. He has shot jut 30 percent from behind the arc and 43.9 percent overall. Barnes functions primarily as a defensive cog, which by its nature means he has to be more or a spot up shooter on the offensive end. Barnes likes the corner three, but elsewhere on the arc he is far less effective. It is safe to say he scores at least seven points, and could be as high as 12, but the UNDER seems appealing here.
Klay Thompson: Over/Under 23.5 points
OVER. This postseason really has been the coming out party for Klay Thompson. We already all knew he was good, but he showed he is a true number one option in the Portland series. Thompson scored 31 points per game on 49.5 percent shooting while knocking down 5.6 threes per game at a 50 percent clip. He functioned primarily as a shooter and scorer, but oh, did he do it well. Thompson scored 27 or more in four of the last five games, and even with Curry back expect his role to still loom slightly larger than usual. The Warriors have tapped into a primal source of great volume shooting, and the Splash Brothers are a tandem not entirely reliant only on the MVP’s efforts. OVER.
Shaun Livingston: Over/Under 7.5 points
UNDER. Shaun Livingston thrived in the Portland series while Curry was on the shelf, but his role will go back to its usual in this series. He averaged 6.3 points per game in the regular season, but has scored in double figures in three of his past five games. In Game 5 with Curry back, he scored 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting, but he attempted just nine field goals in the previous two games. The UNDER is attractive because it is possible he just plays the role of facilitator. UNDER.
Stephen Curry: Over/Under 32 points
UNDER. Stephen Curry hit the ground running when he returned for the final two games of the Blazers’ series. He scored 40 points on 16 of 32 shooting (including 5 of 16 from three-point range) in Game 4 and 29 points in Game 5 on 10 of 20 shooting (5 of 11 threes). Curry seems like a safe bet to go over 30, and that is said even considering that the Thunder are likely to put bigger defenders on him. Russell Westbrook is the best option, but OKC will seek to keep him out of foul trouble, and likely will put him on Klay Thompson or Harrison Barnes. Curry is likely going to score 29 to 34 points, but we will guess the UNDER on this line.
Enos Kanter: Over/Under 10 points
OVER. Kanter has scored in double figures in just two of the past five games, but his length and speed will give the Warriors bigs some issues defending him. Kanter is surprisingly lithe considering his 6’11” 245 pound frame, and he averaged 12.7 points per game during the regular season while posting a PER of 24.09. We like the OVER.
Kevin Durant: Over/Under 31.5 points
UNDER. Kevin Durant is averaging 27.4 points per game in his 11 postseason games this year. He is shooting 43.5 percent on 21.7 field goal attempts per game. Durant is attempting 7.7 free throws per game, and he is doing a lot more than scoring. The Thunder will need at least 25 from Durant to have any chance at victory, but this may be a series he is particularly thwarted in. The Warriors best two defenders are small forwards (Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala) and the Dubs have enough depth to keep a fresh body on Durant at all times. That said, Durant likely scores between 25 and 30 tonight which makes it an UNDER.
Russell Westbrook: Over/Under 26.5 points
OVER. Russell Westbrook scored 35 and 28 points respectively in Games 5 and 6 against the San Antonio Spurs. He is essentially in “do it all mode” which is the style that best befits the dynamic guard. He is averaging 27.4 points per game over his past five, while attempting 24.4 shots per game over that span. He will shoot enough to render this a nice OVER.