The Spurs and Thunder delivered one of the most thrilling playoff games, let alone to kick off a Western Conference Finals series. Oklahoma City rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime, and just when it looked like the comeback would be complete, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama silenced the entire crowd at the Paycom Center with a 27-foot 3-pointer from the logo.
That shot forced a second overtime in which Wemby scored nine of San Antonio's 14 points while chipping in with four rebounds and a block. He finished with game highs in points (41), rebounds (24) and blocks (3).
Thus, when you think about game leader categories, you can expect that Wembanyama is likely to dominate the projections.
Our approach for this preview won't necessarily be to break down these individual matchups. Instead, we'll seek to highlight players that offer the best value in the DraftKings Game Leaders market.
NBA Game Leader Picks for Spurs vs Thunder Game 2
- Points Leader: Victor Wembanyama (+199)
- 3-Point Leader: Julian Champagnie (+453)
Spurs vs Thunder Points Leader: Victor Wembanyama
Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a difficult night, shooting 7-of-23 (30.4%) from the floor and 2-of-7 (28.5%) from the perimeter to finish with 24 points. The Spurs did a decent job of keeping him from getting to his spot, with just four of his shot attempts at the rim.
Wembanyama's presence was a clear deterrent, and unless Chet Holmgren can pose a greater offensive threat, the Frenchman will likely continue to cheat and help on the weak side against SGA.
While the market will naturally expect SGA to bounce back, I was surprised by how easily Wembanyama played, racking up 41 points. The Spurs have done a great job managing his minutes all season, as he averaged 29.2 minutes, down from 33.2 in the previous campaign.
As a result, Wembanyama was able to play 49 minutes in the opener—the second-highest behind Gilgeous-Alexander.
It's not often you see a player of Wembanyama's size display such endurance. Although the data might point to Gilgeous-Alexander (-126) as the favorite for top scorer, I'm not sure the numbers fully capture Wembanyama's motivation after coming up short to SGA in the MVP voting.
This series is all about the two superstars, as I'm unwilling to take a punt on the other players to finish with the most points.
Thus, getting Wembanyama at almost 2-to-1 is something I can't ignore.
At 7-foot-4, he's practically unguardable, especially if the Thunder continue to put a smaller player like Alex Caruso on him. Wemby should continue to dominate offensively.
Pick: Points Leader: Victor Wembanyama (+199)
Spurs vs Thunder 3-Point Leader: Julian Champagnie
If not for Caruso's standout performance with eight 3-pointers, we would've cashed a ticket on San Antonio's Julian Champagnie for the most 3-pointers. Caruso's odds in Game 1 were +1200, and now he's the favorite at +383.
However, the current price is undoubtedly inflated for a player who shot just 29.3% from the perimeter during the regular season.
San Antonio's decision to shift a defender over to help on SGA is primarily why Caruso got so many open looks. This time around, I don't expect the Spurs to remain as aggressive with that defensive strategy, and even if they do, Caruso could still likely experience quite a bit of regression.
Nonetheless, Champagnie (+453) remains the value play in my model, as he finishes with the most 3-pointers in 18% of simulations, exceeding his implied book value of 15%. His 11 3-point attempts also provide further encouragement, given his willingness to continue shooting despite not getting the best results.
It's worth noting that he's still shooting 42.5% on 3-pointers this postseason.
Therefore, the volume should still be there, and with some better luck, Champagnie can finish as the 3-point leader in this category.
Pick: 3-Point Leader: Julian Champagnie (+453)
