The Oklahoma City Thunder (28-20) wrap up a tough two-game road trip when they visit the San Antonio Spurs (36-11) on Tuesday as nearly double-digit underdogs. The Thunder are coming off a 107-91 loss to the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, failing to cover on the NBA point spreads as eight-point road underdogs to snap their three-game winning streak.Point spread: The Spurs opened as nine-point favorites; the total is at 211, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report).Why the Thunder can cover the spreadOklahoma City was up 24-21 at Cleveland heading into the second quarter before the Cavaliers erupted for 37 points over the next 12 minutes to turn a close game into a blowout. Russell Westbrook struggled with his shooting, making just seven of 26 attempts from the field, but he finished with a triple-double (20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists).The problem for the Thunder is that they have become a one-man team at times and will need even more production from youngsters like Domantas Sabonis with Enes Kanter out for six to eight weeks. That is no secret, though, so Oklahoma City may be undervalued in spots like this if a player like Sabonis steps up more to help Westbrook.Why the Spurs can cover the spreadSan Antonio has lost two in a row for just the second time this season and rebounded from its last skid with a double-digit victory against the Detroit Pistons back on November 11 of last year. That is how long it has been since the Spurs last dropped consecutive games, and they had a five-game winning streakcovering the spread in four straightprior to suffering their 10th loss.However, falling to the Dallas Mavericks 105-101 as 12-point home chalk on Sunday was a bad loss, especially considering the Thunder recently beat Dallas by 11 points.Smart pick (NBA picks on every game)Oklahoma City has a three-game series winning streak versus San Antonio both straight up and against the spread, going 8-2 ATS in the past 10 meetings.While Kevin Durant was a member of the Thunder during that stretch, with all three wins taking place in the playoffs, the Spurs also struggled to contain Westbrook. The NBA MVP candidate averaged 27 points and shot 47 percent from the field in the last three regular-season meetings, and he will rebound to keep OKC within double digits and cover the spread.Betting trendsOklahoma City is 4-1 ATS in its last five games when playing San Antonio.San Antonio is 17-7 ATS in its last 24 games.The total has gone over in nine of San Antonio's last 10 games.All NBA lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Reports official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.
Click here to read full news..
