{"id":677371,"date":"2026-05-17T21:03:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T21:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/677371\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T21:03:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T21:03:12","slug":"spurs-vs-thunder-prediction-picks-odds-for-nba-playoffs-game-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/677371\/","title":{"rendered":"Spurs vs Thunder Prediction, Picks & Odds for NBA Playoffs Game 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The San Antonio Spurs<\/a> wrapped up the Western Conference semifinals with a Game 6 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a>, but they\u2019ll face a stiffer task when they face the undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> in the Western Conference Finals.<\/p>\n

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My Spurs vs. Thunder predictions call for a low-scoring matchup between two defensively gifted teams looking for a key opening victory.<\/p>\n

Here are my best free NBA picks<\/a> for Game 1 from Paycom Center on Monday, May 18.<\/p>\n

Spurs vs Thunder Game 1 predictionSpurs vs Thunder best bet: Under 219 (-110)<\/p>\n

The San Antonio Spurs<\/a> boast the best defensive rating in the playoffs at a paltry 102.2, and the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> rank sixth at 109.3.<\/p>\n

The Spurs have surrendered just 102.5 points per game, while the Thunder have given up 104.6. Opponents are shooting just 40.5% against the Spurs, the lowest mark in the NBA.<\/p>\n

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Oklahoma City<\/a> ranks second in opponent turnovers and third in steals, and they can disrupt San Antonio<\/a>\u2019s rhythm and potent scoring attack.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll take the Under as these powerhouses trade blows and make life difficult for one another on offense.<\/p>\n

\"Covers\"<\/p>\n

Covers<\/p>\n

COVERS INTEL:<\/p>\n

At home in the playoffs, the Thunder have allowed just 97 points per game and forced 20 turnovers, both Top 2 marks in the Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Spurs vs Thunder Game 1 same-game parlay<\/p>\n

The Spurs have won and covered seven of their last 10 games, and all three of their losses came by five points or fewer. The Thunder are 5-3 ATS in the postseason, but they haven\u2019t yet faced a team that is this familiar with them. The Spurs can keep things close on the road.<\/p>\n

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Victor Wembanyama<\/a> has recorded 14+ rebounds in five of his last six games with at least 20 minutes played. Game 1 against the Thunder should be close, and Wemby\u2019s rebounding will be needed against the Thunder\u2019s two-headed monster of Chet Holmgren<\/a> and Isaiah Hartenstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Spurs vs Thunder SGP<\/p>\n

Victor Wembanyama Over 13.5 rebounds<\/p>\n

Spurs vs Thunder odds for Game 1<\/p>\n

Spread: Spurs +6.5 (-110) | Thunder -6.5 (-110)<\/p>\n

Moneyline: Spurs +210 | Thunder -260<\/p>\n

Over\/Under: Over 219.5 (-110) | Under 219.5 (-110)<\/p>\n

Spurs vs Thunder betting trend to know<\/p>\n

The Spurs and Thunder hit the Game Total Under in all three head-to-head matchups at Paycom Center this season. Find more NBA betting trends<\/a> for Spurs vs. Thunder.<\/p>\n

How to watch Spurs vs Thunder Game 1<\/p>\n

Location<\/p>\n

Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK<\/p>\n

Date<\/p>\n

Monday, May 18, 2026<\/p>\n

Tip-off<\/p>\n

8:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n

TV<\/p>\n

NBC<\/p>\n

Spurs vs Thunder latest injuries<\/p>\n

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This article originally appeared on Covers.com<\/a>, read the full article here<\/a> and view our best betting sites<\/a> or check out our top sportsbook promos<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":677372,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,3894,46028,5665,590,5673,5548,223119,12837,10549,85,191447,28021,12838,67100,305855],"class_list":["post-677371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-chet-holmgren","tag-isaiah-hartenstein","tag-minnesota-timberwolves","tag-nba","tag-oklahoma-city","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-paycom-center","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-spurs","tag-sports","tag-spurs-vs-thunder","tag-the-spurs","tag-victor-wembanyama","tag-western-conference-finals","tag-western-conference-semifinals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=677371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/677372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=677371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=677371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=677371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}