NBA Championship Decider: Pacers versus Thunder in Game 7 Betting
The stage is set for the NBA Finals Game 7 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers, scheduled for Sunday night. This game holds a unique challenge for the Pacers, as historically, teams playing a Game 7 on the road in the NBA Finals have rarely won.
In NBA Finals History, road teams have won only four out of 19 Game 7s. The last road team to secure a Game 7 championship win was the Washington Bullets in 1978 against the Seattle SuperSonics[1]. The next road team to break this pattern was the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, against the Golden State Warriors[1]. This pattern indicates a strong home-court advantage historically in NBA Finals Game 7s.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been favored in every game of the series, and this game is no exception. They currently have -340 odds to win the game, and an 8.5-point spread is set in their favour[1]. Interestingly, this is the lowest favoured spread for the Thunder at home in the series, having previously been double-digit favourites.
The Thunder have a better historical chance of winning Game 7 compared to the average road team in NBA Finals History. They have covered the spread in their last two home games, but they failed to cover the -10-point spread in Game 1[1].
Defense has been a significant factor in the series, with just two games going over their projected point totals. However, the total for Game 7 is set at 223 points, leaving some potential for the over. So far, four games have crossed the 220-point mark, providing a slight indication of a possible over in Game 7[1].
The Thunder and Pacers have split the series against the spread at 3-3 in the NBA Finals. The Thunder are 2-1 on NBA betting sites in terms of covering the spread at home overall[1].
The Pacers face a historical challenge in winning Game 7 on the road. With the odds stacked against them, they will need to defy the odds and repeat the feats of the Washington Bullets and the Cleveland Cavaliers to secure the championship.
[1] Data sourced from a comprehensive search of available NBA Finals statistics and historical data.
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