5 Western Conference First Round NBA Betting Picks

Can Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder overcome James Harden and the explosive Houston Rockets? Will the Golden State Warriors ever cover the spread again? Can Gordon Hayward and the Utah Jazz continue their eye-opening play against the perennially underachieving Los Angeles Clippers?

With the first round of NBA postseason action about to hit its unofficial halfway point, now is a perfect time for some expert Western Conference playoff predictions. If you want to know the answers to each of the aforementioned questions, then let’s get started with the updated NBA betting predictions.

5 Western Conference NBA Playoff First Round Betting Predictions

Blitz-Happy Houston

James Harden and the Houston Rockets completely blitzed Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder in their stunning 118-87 Game 1 blowout win to easily cover the spread as 7.5-point home favorites and they will do so again this evening as a 7.5-point home fave in Game 2. As a matter of fact, I’m predicting the Rockets to get the 4-1 series win while covering the NBA betting line four times. Oklahoma City should win one home game out of sheer desperation and pride, if nothing else.

Long Lines

I know the Golden State Warriors went 7-1-1 ATS over their final nine regular season games, but the Dubs only covered the spread once as a double-digit favorite during the span and that came against the pitiful Los Angeles Lakers, which is why I was shocked they opened up as a whopping 13-point home fave against Portland in their first round series showdown.

While the Warriors have gone 5-3-1 ATS in their last nine games as a double-digit favorite, Steph Curry and company are also just 8-10-2 ATS as a double-digit fave over their last 20 games. I’m predicting the Warrior fail to cover the spread as a double-digit favorite against Portland every time they get listed as one, including tonight’s Game 2 clash.

The More Things Change..

The more things change, the more they apparently stay the same in San Antonio. Led by superstar small forward Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs have looked phenomenal in handing the Memphis Grizzlies a pair of double-digit loses while covering the NBA betting line both times out. Leonard I average a stellar 34.5 points per game so far, which is why I’m predicting the Spurs to bounce the Grizz out in five games at most while going 4-1 ATS along the way.

Looking Jazzy

Despite falling to a desperate Clippers team 99-91 on Tuesday night, thing are looking quite jazzy for the upstart Utah Jazz. Gordon Hayward and the league’s top-ranked defensive team have covered the spread in both games against L.A. and head into Game 3 at home on Friday having outscored the Clippers in the second half of their Game 2 loss – after completely outplaying their Western Conference rivals in Game 1. Simply put, I’m predicting a pair of Jazz SU wins and ATS covers in Games 3 and 4, seeing as how they’ll be back at home in front of one of the loudest fan bases in the NBA.

Hit the Road Jack!

The Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder will not win more than one game in their respective first round series, but when it comes to covering the NBA betting line, the Blazers are looking like a great pick to keep up their ATS excellence. The Blazers are 4-1 ATS over their last five games dating back to the regular season and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall. Conversely, the Grizzlies have gone 0-4 ATS in their last four and 2-6 ATS in their last eight games while the Thunder have gone 0-2 ATS over their last two game and just 4-5 AT over their last nine. All three team will be hitting the road soon, but the Blazers look like they’ll cover the spread in every game against Golden State.