The Big Dog’s opening play of the 2016 playoffs was as emphatic as it gets, as the Miami Heat dismantled the Charlotte Hornets 123-91. Today’s “Play of the Day” steers away from results again, as the spotlight shifts to the Western Conference and Game 2 of the 3rd vs 6th series, which produced a 38-point blowout in Game 1.
Dallas Mavericks @ Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder stormed out of the blocks and never looked back, making the Dallas Mavericks look like a D-League team in a 108-70 Game 1 embarrassment. The Big Dog was so impressed that he very nearly threw the rule book to the side and picked OKC at the line (-14.0) as the day’s best play. However, that line is just a little too large against a Thunder side that is prone to being a little lazy on the defensive end. Instead, the focus is on the performance of Kevin Durant. While all the talk has been around Russell Westbrook and his ability to produce triple-double nights at will, the 2014 league MVP has been on an absolute scoring tear. With the Mavericks rapidly running out of troops, another big night should be in store for KD. After resting in the final regular season game against the Spurs, Durant scored 23 points in 27 minutes, in Game 1, shooting 7 of 15 but hitting all seven of his free-throws. He’s averaged 31.4 points in his last seven games and 31.0 in four games through April. Dallas will struggle to keep the game close but if they can be even slightly competitive and keep Durant on the court for 30-plus minutes, this points line will be short of what he will produce as part of the offensive juggernaut that is the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Selection
Kevin Durant Over 28.5 (Player F Total Points) @ $1.87 (Sportsbet)
Tools
Results Spreadsheet
