Thunder Heavy Favorites After Losing Game 1 of The Finals

• The Oklahoma City Thunder are 11 point favorites in Game 2 of the Finals after losing Game 1 in the final seconds.
• The Pacers have lost three playoff games by double digits this year.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Game 2 of the NBA Finals will tip off Sunday at 8 PM on ABC as the Indiana Pacers look to steal another game on the road against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

Pacers vs Thunder Game 2 Odds

Indiana won Game 1 after leading for a total of 0.3 seconds, which was just enough for them to edge out an 111-110 road victory. Legal sports betting sites expect the Thunder to earn a comfortable win in Game 2.

Though it is understandable to be reluctant after the collapse in Game 1, the best bet for this game is for OKC to cover the 11 point spread.

The Thunder have been historically great at home this season, going 35-6 at Paycom Center throughout the regular season and 8-1 during the playoffs before last night’s loss. They have not lost consecutive games at home all season.

Their only home loss this postseason came in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, which they lost by just two points, similarly to Game 1 of the Finals. In Game 2, they absolutely obliterated the Nuggets by a final score of 149-106.

There were also a plethora of self inflicted mistakes that ultimately cost the Thunder the first game of this series. Oklahoma City won the turnover battle by a wide margin, forcing 24 turnovers for Indiana compared to the six that they gave away themselves. Despite this, they were unable to capitalize offensively, shooting just 39.8% from the field as a team.

They had 16 more total field goal attempts than the Pacers but each team made 39 total shots, a glaring disparity in efficiency. Indiana also outrebounded the Thunder 56-39.

Bounce Back For OKC?

There is plenty for Oklahoma City to clean up, but there is no reason to believe that they won’t make the necessary adjustments. Additionally, Indiana has a track record of getting blown out in these playoffs, with three of their four losses coming by sixteen or more points, two of those being on the road.

NBA betting sites still have faith in OKC, giving them -320 odds to win the series and -575 odds to win Game 2. If the trends are any indication, we should be in store for a Thunder avalanche on Sunday and bettors should look to capitalize on -105 odds for the spread.

News tags: Denver Nuggets | Indiana Pacers | NBA | NBA Finals | Oklahoma | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City Thunder