The Oklahoma City Thunder have a chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their series against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals this Sunday.
Historically, teams that lead a playoff series 3-1 win about 95% of the time, according to ESPN research. Only five teams have come back from that deficit in the conference finals or NBA Finals, with the Cleveland Cavaliers being the last to do so in 2016 against the Golden State Warriors.
In their last matchup, Oklahoma City secured a 123-108 victory in Game 3, with an impressive 76 points coming from their bench. That’s the highest bench score recorded in a conference finals or NBA Finals game since records began in 1971. However, the Thunder will be missing guard Ajay Mitchell due to a right soleus strain, while Jalen Williams is questionable with a hamstring injury. Williams missed Game 3, and Mitchell was limited to just 17 minutes.
On the other side, the Spurs have no injury concerns. Guards De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, previously listed on the injury report, played in Game 3 but combined for only 19 points. A crucial point in this series has been the Spurs’ performance when their star player, Victor Wembanyama, is off the court. They have a strong plus-21 rating with him on the court but drop to a minus-38 when he sits, which is the worst on either team.
As the teams gear up for Game 4, will the Thunder pull ahead, or will the Spurs even the series? It promises to be a thrilling game to watch.
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