ESPN Backs Castle Over 17.5 Points, Hartenstein Rebounds in Thunder-Spurs Game 1

7 articles · Updated · ESPN · May 18

17.5 points for Stephon Castle and 8.5 rebounds for Isaiah Hartenstein headline ESPN’s top betting picks for Monday’s Western Conference finals opener between San Antonio and Oklahoma City.
Castle averaged 19.9 points in the playoffs and 19.8 against the Thunder this season, while Hartenstein has cleared nine rebounds in five straight games and averaged 11.0 boards versus the Spurs.
Game 1 pairs the defending champion Thunder—owners of the NBA’s best regular-season record—against a Spurs team that had the league’s second-best mark and won four of five head-to-head meetings.
8:30 p.m. ET tipoff odds list Oklahoma City as a 6.5-point favorite with a 221.5 total, while ESPN’s BPI projects Thunder by 4.2 and gives them a 63% straight-up win chance.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enters the matchup after winning his second straight MVP over Victor Wembanyama, adding another layer to a series built around elite wing depth and frontcourt star power.

In a battle of MVP vs. Defensive Player of the Year, whose style of dominance will prevail?

The Spurs dominated the regular season. Is this the blueprint to dethrone the defending champion Thunder?

With Wembanyama owning their rivalry, can Chet Holmgren finally turn the tide for the Thunder?