The Oklahoma City Thunder have been on a streak of dominance over the NBA for nearly three seasons at this point.
As the reigning champs with the back-to-back MVP they haven’t been underdogs in a playoff game since Game 6 of the 2024 Western Conference semifinal against the Dallas Mavericks.
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That is no longer the case as they come into Friday’s WCF Game 3 matchup against the San Antonio Spurs as the slight underdogs.
Most sportsbooks entered Friday with the Spurs listed as 1.5-favorites against OKC in Game 3.
OKC’s 33-game streak as favorites in the playoffs is officially the third-longest streak since 1990.
From 1995 to 1997, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were favored to win in 34 straight playoff games. The longest streak belongs to the Golden State Warriors, who were favored in 36 consecutive matchup in 2015-16.
These betting odds symbolize an incredible rivalry that’s transpired between the Thunder and the Spurs all season.
OKC dominated the league throughout the regular season, but the Spurs took them down in four of their five matchups.
This rivalry appears to be personal to Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, who has a history with Thunder star Chet Holmgren going way back to their time in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.
Holmgren and Team USA came out on top in their battle against France and a young Wembanyama in 2021.
Despite Wembanyama’s strong performance, he was visibly upset as Holmgren took home the Tournament MVP award. The two giants have been going at it ever since, going all out on the court every time they match up.
As the Thunder come into San Antonio for Game 3, they’ll do so as the underdogs for the first time in over two years.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
