The two titans of not only the Western Conference, but the entire NBA meet in the Western Conference Finals. We are all #blessed.

OKC led the NBA with 64 wins during the regular season while San Antonio was right behind with 62. And that was with Victor Wembanyama playing only 64 games. Detroit was the only other team to get to the 60-win mark.

These teams met five times during the regular season, with the Spurs going 4-1! Granted, one of those wins came when the Thunder sat all their starters, but OKC was at full strength for three of the other losses while Wembanyama was coming off the bench.

During the regular season, OKC was seventh in offensive rating and first in defensive rating. San Antonio was third in both offense and defense.

DraftKings Sportsbook lists OKC as a 6.5-point favorite over SA with the total set at 219.5.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (SAS at OKC)

Captain’s Picks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($16,500 CP): Both of these teams do such a good job of protecting the paint, so I’m going to shy away from the straight slashers. SGA can slash, but his game is predicated on changing direction and speed to be the midrange assassin, although he’s expanded his range out to downtown. In four games against San Antonio during the regular season, SGA put up 41.5, 48.2, 38 and 55.2 FPTS. We know the playing time and usage will be there while the floor is pretty high. As for ceiling, Victor Wembanyama has a higher one but OKC has done an excellent job of containing him.

UTIL Plays

Victor Wembanyama ($12,000): Speaking of Wembanyama, I’m able to fit him into lineups so I’m going to use him when possible. As mentioned in the SGA section, OKC has stymied Wembanyama to 40.2, 21.8, 40.8, 28.8 and 47.5 FPTS. But raw points are raw points and Wembanyama can stuff the stat sheet with the best of them. The range of outcomes is likely wider for Wembanyama but he does have the higher ceiling than SGA. I will likely have lineups with both at Captain since I do see paths for each.

Julian Champagnie ($5,400): OKC had the best defense in the paint, as the defended field goal percentage within six feet of the basket was the lowest in the NBA. The Thunder collapse like a pack of ravenous dogs when they smell that cowhide leather in the paint. If the ball is passed out to a shooter beyond the arc, a Thunder defender will race out to contest. Despite that, the defended three-point percentage was the sixth-highest in the NBA, so that’s where the Spurs will likely have to do damage, and Champagnie is one of the players to do exactly that. He shot 38% from downtown during the regular season and has put up at least 20 FPTS in nine of 11 playoff games with three of those over 30 FPTS. He should get plenty of opportunities in this one.

Devin Vassell ($6,000): Copy and paste from the above Champagnie section. Vassell also converted 38% of his hoists from downtown during the regular season. During this playoff run, he’s gone for at least 20 FPTS in nine of 11 games as well with three over 30 FPTS.

Fades

Ajay Mitchell ($8,000): With Jalen Williams out, Mitchell has started the last six games and put up at least 25 FPTS in all with 45.8 and 52.5 FPTS in the last two games against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs are a much better defensive team than the Lakers, though, and the sledding may get tough for Mitchell. He’s still going to put up fantasy points due to the playing time and volume, but a big percentage of his shots come at the rim, and that just happens to be the shots the Spurs are great at defending. In addition, Mitchell only converted 34% from downtown during the regular season. UPDATE: Jalen Williams has been cleared to play, so Mitchell will lose some minutes.

The Outcome

The Spurs are young pups and this will be their first appearance in the Western Conference Finals recently, while OKC is the defending champs. Jitters? Possibly, but the Spurs played the Thunder tough all season and I don’t think the stage will be too bright or large. San Antonio is ready and it wouldn’t surprise me if they took Game 1, especially since OKC last played on May 11th. That said, the Thunder squeak it out in the end, as the SGA shows why he was selected as the league’s regular season MVP for the second consecutive year.

Final Score: Thunder 103, Spurs 101