Portland Vs Golden State NBA Expert Predictions

Posted by Eric Williams on Monday,April 17, 2017 12:05, EDT in

NBA News, Betting Tips, Picks & Previews

Damian Lillard and the seventh-seeded Portland Trail Blazers will look to rebound from their humbling 121-109 Game 1 loss when they hit the road to take on Kevin Durant and the top-seeded Golden State Warriors in Game 2 on Wednesday night.

While the Dubs opened their playoff run with a solid win and pulled away from their conference counterparts in the fourth quarter on Sunday, the Blazers covered the spread as huge double-digit road dogs just as I predicted. Now, let’s find out if Portland can get the outright upset in Game 2 or another ATS cover at the very least. Find the latest NBA betting picks here.

Here’s A Closer Look At The Trail Blazers Vs Warriors NBA Expert Predictions

When: Sunday, April 16, 2017 at 3:30 PM ET
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
TV: TNT
Live Stream: Watch NBA
NBA Odds: Golden State -13 / Total: 222.5

The Warriors are whopping 13-point home favorites to beat the Blazers when this game gets underway on Sunday, April 16, 2017 at 3:30 PM ET, live from Oracle Arena, in Oakland, California while airing live on ABC.

Why Bet The Portland Trail Blazers Odds at +13

The best reason to bet on Portland in this contest is that they have a pair of ‘super elite’ guards that have a ton of pride in point guard Damian Lillard (27.0 ppg) and shooting guard C.J. McCollum (23.0 ppg). Not only that, but the Blazers have some other very solid players in center Jusuf Nurkic (15.2 ppg), Allen Crabbe (10.7 ppg), Maurice Harkless (10.0 ppg) and veteran swingman Evan Turner (9.0 ppg).

Last but not least, another great reason to back the Blazers in Game 2 is that they were in Game 1 until the fourth quarter and never trailed by more than eight points in the first three quarters, not to mention Portland got a game-high 41 points from McCollum and 34 points from Lillard in the loss.

“We competed extremely well for three quarters,” Blaers coach Terry Stotts said. “It takes four quarters to beat a great team. If anything, it showed that when we play at this level, we can play them and we can beat them.”

Why Bet The Golden State Warriors Odds at -13

There are also a handful of great reasons to back the Warriors in Game 2 starting with the fact that the Dubs have a trio of gifted shooters in Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and a do-it-all ‘X Factor’ kind of player in all-star forward Draymond Green.

Durant scored a team-high 32 points while Curry added 29 points, Thompson, 15 points and Green, 19 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, three steals and a whopping five blocked shots.

“It was, to me, the perfect way to win Game 1,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of the highly competitive contest. “You get a real taste for what you’re up against. You see how good they are, but you’re able to overcome everything and still get this win. So, I like it.”

Last but not least, the Warriors are a great pick because they are clearly the better defensive team in this showdown. Golden State put the clamps on Portland in the fourth quarter and can lock the Blazers down far better than Portland can stop their explosive offense.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

Maybe it’s me, but I didn’t understand why Golden State was such a huge favorite in Game 1 and I don’t know either. In game 1 I had the Blazers covering the spread and the pick is the same for Game 2 for the exact same reasons.

Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, first and foremost, have too much pride to roll over against any team, the Golden State Warriors included.

Despite their Game 1 loss, the Blazers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games against a team with a winning straight up record, an identical 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games and a bankroll-boosting 14-3 ATS in their last 17 games overall.

For all of their on-court excellence, the Golden State Warriors are a surprising 2-6 ATS in their last eight games playing on three or more days rest and 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games against teams from the Northwest Division. Just like Game 1 people, Golden State wins, but Portland covers.