Oklahoma City vs Los Angeles NBA Odds
The Clippers’ Blake Griffin posted his first double-double of the playoffs in Tuesday’s game five of the Western Conference Semifinals, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Thunder from taking a one game advantage heading into game six at the Staples Center on Friday. [ad-4468020]
Date/Time: 10:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, May 15, 2014
Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Broadcast: ESPN
Spread: -5 Clippers
Over/Under: 211.5
[dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Oklahoma City rode the tails of point guard Russell Westbrook, who hit three late free throws to cap a 38-point effort, to down LA 105-104, just two days after letting a 16-point fourth-quarter lead vanish in game four in Oklahoma.
The win gives the Thunder a 3-2 lead in series.
Check out our in-house Handicapper!!! Buy Razor Ray’s NBA Season Package Today!
But as good as Westbrook was — posting his highest scoring game of the postseason — turnovers played a bigger part in the win, as the Thunder scored 23 points off 17 Los Angeles turnovers in game five.
The Clippers did however, do a good job defensively, containing league MVP Kevin Durant, who struggled mightily in game five, suffering through a 6-of-22 shooting performance despite finishing with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Griffin meanwhile led Los Angeles’ offensive charge, with 24 points and 17 rebounds, while point guard Chris Paul, one of the Clippers most consistent players during this playoff series, finished with just 17 points and one rebound.
[ad-6571516]
He did dish out 14 helpers, but turned the ball over five times in the second half – two of which came late in the game, one possibly changing the outcome with just seconds remaining.
Meanwhile, DeAndre Jordan didn’t score a single point, but Jamal Crawford continues to be a force off the bench, scoring no less than 18 points in three straight games.
The Thunder shot 42.9 percent from the field in game five, and are averaging 107.8 points on 47.9 percent shooting. Defensively, they are allowing 108 points on 45.8 percent shooting.
LA returns home where they average 111.4 points and allow 101 points.
Matt’s Prediction:
The Clippers beat themselves in game five — a game they should have won with no problem.
Now that they’re back on their home court and facing elimination, I expect some big performances from both Paul and Griffin, who seems he may have found his stride when his team needs him most.
With their backs against the wall, I like the Clippers in this one.
Clippers 112, Thunder 110
