The Golden State Warriors are expected to be without superstar Kevin Durant again Thursday night as they host the Portland Trail Blazers and try to take a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals. The Dubs are solid favorites even without Durant on the latest NBA Odds.
How to Bet Blazers vs Warriors Western Conference Finals Odds & Game 2 Info
- When: Thursday, 9 PM ET
- Where: Oracle Arena
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- Radio: 95.7 The Game
- Western Conference Finals Odds: Golden State Warriors -7.5 (Total 218.5)
Why Bet on Portland?
The Blazers just aren’t as good as the Warriors and that was pretty obvious in the Game 1 116-94 loss. Damian Lillard hit just 4-of-12 shots in the loss, finishing with 19 points, four rebounds, six assists and seven turnovers in 37 minutes. Not close to good enough.
Lillard appeared to injure a hamstring during the game but was able to play through it. Banged up or not, he’s likely going to keep playing unless he continues to tweak it going forward. The Blazers’ defense was terrible, allowing 17 made three-pointers. The Blazers only gave up 17 3-pointers three times during the regular season, so they’ll have to make a serious adjustment.
CJ McCollum was just 7-for-19 from the field for 17 points. The Warriors possess the length and athleticism to cause problems for the Blazers’ backcourt duo. The Warriors used either 6-foot-7 Klay Thompson, 6-7 Draymond Green, and 6-6 Andre Iguodala, along with Steph Curry, to defend Lillard and McCollum for much of the game. It worked wonders.
“We’re paying a lot of attention to them, just trying to stay all over them if we can and not give up anything easy,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game. “I thought our defense was good.”
Rodney Hood hobbled through Tuesday’s Game 1 on a bum knee and hit 4-of-8 shots, two 3-pointers and 7-of-7 free throws for 17 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 26 minutes. Hood’s left knee isn’t going to feel better as long as he plays, but he surely will keep doing so.
In a game in which the Trail Blazers went 36 percent from the field, made just seven of 28 three-point attempts and turned the ball over 21 times for 31 Warriors points … they were still well within striking distance, thanks in large part to considerable advantage in free throws, going into the fourth quarter.
“They got loose in the fourth quarter and had 39 in the fourth quarter,” said Coach Terry Stotts. “But going into the fourth quarter down six, we were finding ways to hang in on a night that we were struggling offensively.”
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 113.99
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.27
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.76
- Free Throw Percentage: 80.76
- Total Rebounds: 47.82
Defense
- Total Score: 110.44
- Field Goal Percentage: 45.39
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.74
- Free Throw Percentage: 77.34
- Total Rebounds: 43.46
Why Bet on Golden State?
Sans Kevin Durant, who isn’t going to play Game 2 with his calf injury, Golden State shot 50 percent from the field and 52 percent from three to defeat Portland 116-94 in Game 1 on Tuesday. Durant surely won’t be playing Thursday, either. Frankly, the Dubs don’t need him in this series it seems.
Stephen Curry hit 12-of-23 shots and tied his playoff career high by hitting 9-of-15 3-pointers on his way to 36 points, six rebounds, seven assists, a steal and just one turnover in 35 minutes. In the fourth quarter and overtime in the postseason, Curry has made his last 76 free throw attempts dating back to his last miss on June 16, 2015.
It seemed like every 3-pointer the Warriors shot was uncontested. All it took was a simple pick to set Curry and Klay Thompson free. The Blazers, for the most part, elected to defend Curry and Thompson with single coverage and by sagging their bigs under pick-and-roll coverage.
“I don’t think there’s any way Steph should come off a pick-and-roll and have a clean look. We don’t get that. Dame doesn’t get that. CJ (McCollum) don’t get that. There’s no way the best shooter in the game should get that,” Portland Moe Harkless said after.
The Rockets had limited Curry to a feeble 28% from deep in the previous series, hitting only 19 of his 68 total attempts from distance — failing to shoot above 30% until his last game in the series, where he made 4-of-11 (36%) from deep.
Thompson on Tuesday hit 10-of-24 shots and 3-of-9 3-pointers for 26 points, while Draymond Green did a little bit of everything on his way to 12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, three blocks and a 3-pointer in the easy win. The Warriors won the battle by playing at their own breakneck pace, outscoring the Blazers 17-2 in fast break points and grabbing a commanding 31-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
In the last 29 games, which includes regular season and playoffs, the Warriors have a 28-1 record when Curry plays but Durant does not. All-time, the Warriors have a 31-4 combined regular season and postseason (27-4 during the regular season, 4-0 in the playoffs).
Golden State has a 36-33 record in Game 2 of a playoff series, including 14-4 since the 2015 NBA Playoffs. The Warriors have won 24 of their last 27 home playoff games, including the last four.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 117.72
- Field Goal Percentage: 49.03
- Three-Point Percentage: 38.49
- Free Throw Percentage: 80.39
- Total Rebounds: 45.72
Defense
- Total Score: 111.17
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.36
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.87
- Free Throw Percentage: 77.70
- Total Rebounds: 43.93
Blazers vs Warriors Western Conference Finals Betting Trends
- Warriors are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up win
- Warriors are 14-1 SU in their last 15 games when playing at home against Portland
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Golden State’s last 12 games this season
- Blazers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up loss
- Blazers are 4-14 SU in their last 18 games against Golden State
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Portland’s last 6 games on the road
Expert Final Score Prediction for Blazers vs Warriors
Portland Trail Blazers 112 – Golden State Warriors 117
