[GTS925]

Thunder -3.5 -140 LOCKED (x3.5)

I am rolling with the Thunder playing at home against the Nuggets. OKC comes into the playoffs winners of 5 of their last 6 games. The only loss being yesterday where they rested the starters half of the game. The staters did build up a big lead though and the scrubs lost it after. The Nuggets have been playing pretty well winning 7 of their last ten games.

OKC has one of the best home courts in the playoffs I had ever seen last year and nothing should change about that this post season with the expectations sky high for the Thunder. The place will be rocking and I expect OKC to do the same. The Thunder in the last month played Denver twice. They beat them by 7 on the road in Denver and won by 15 at home. This just a team that OKC really matches up well with. Even George Karl himself said that he did not want to play OKC because they didn't match up well and that he'd much rather play Dallas first round. If you're not going to take it from me, take it from the teams own coach that it's a mismatch.

OKC is the prototypical playoff team. They have a great point guard in Russell Westbrook. They have the unstoppable, clutch superstar in Durant who is also a highly under-rated defender. They got the athletic PF inside in Ibaka who brings great energy and can guard multiple positions. He shoots a very high percentage at 54%. They got a athletic defensive minded SF in Thabo Sefolosha who shoots pretty well. They got the experienced enforcer, defensive big man in Perkins who does all the little things and just gives them that nastiness that a young team like OKC really needed. Their bench has the offensive spark with Harden, Cook, and Maynor. Nazr Mohammed is also a decent big off the bench.

Denver has a long list of injuries coming into the playoffs. All of these guys are probable but they will for sure not be playing at 100%. Danilo has had a bunch of injuries lately and recently sprained his ankle on saturday, he has missed 11 of the past 22 games. Afflalo has only played two games in the last twelve due to a hamstring injury. Lawson left Wednesdays game against Utah with an ankle injury. Mozgov is OUT on Sunday.

Denver does have a good team but OKC is just a more complete, all around team. Denver is a newly put together team while OKC has been playing together now for years, only addition was Perkins who is a glue guy and doesn't take much time to acclimate glue guys. The Nuggets will play great ball at home but I think they will be down 2-0 going back to Denver. I especially don't see them stealing game 1 vs OKC. I expect the Thunder to win game 1 by about 6-9 points.

Here.