Oklahoma City Thunder face Spurs as playoff underdogs in Game 3
The Oklahoma City Thunder will be playoff underdogs for the first time in 33 games when they face the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Friday.
The Texas-based franchise opened as 1.5-point favourites for the pivotal clash, threatening a historic streak for their opponents.
If the betting lines hold, it will end an extraordinary two-year run of the Thunder being favoured in post-season action.
Their last appearance as post-season underdogs came during Game 6 of the 2024 Western Conference semi-finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
Chasing historic post-season streaks
This impressive 33-game stretch is currently the third-longest run in the NBA since 1990.
The formidable Thunder roster has drawn statistical comparisons to the legendary Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s.
Michael Jordan led the Bulls to 34 consecutive playoff games as favourites between 1995 and 1997.
However, the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors still hold the all-time record with 36 straight matches as the betting favourites.
Series hangs in the balance
The current Western Conference finals tie sits delicately poised at 1-1 following the opening two fixtures.
Despite losing their favoured status for Friday’s encounter, the Thunder remain heavily tipped to win the overall series.
During the regular season, the top seed in the West found themselves as underdogs on just four occasions.