Warriors Are NBA Betting Favorites Against Trail Blazers in Game 1

Posted by Michael Hunt on Thursday,April 13, 2017 9:11, EDT in

NBA Basketball News

Five times in NBA history, a No. 8 seed has upset a No. 1 seed in the first round of the NBA playoffs. However, oddsmakers give the No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers almost no chance when they open the postseason at two-time Western Conference champion Golden State. Let’s see who could have the edge to win in this NBA betting preview.

Portland at Golden State NBA Playoffs First Round Game 1 Betting Preview

When: Sunday, April 16th, 2017. 3:30pm ET
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland
TV: ABC
Stream: NBA.tv
Radio: Portland / Golden State
NBA Odds: Warriors -13.5

Why Bet On Portland?

Last year, the Blazers surprised many, losing LaMarcus Aldridge but winning 44 games for the fifth seed, squeezing by the injured Clippers in Round 1 and, despite going down to the Warriors in five games, at least making Round 2 interesting.

This year, the Warriors beat the Blazers by two and 23 in Portland and by eight and a 45 points in Oracle. All four games were played before the end of January when Portland was struggling. Since the end of February, the Blazers are 17-5. They have been scorching opponents like a top-five offense: 111.9 points per 100 possessions.

Damian Lillard averaged 23.3 points (45.8% FG, 38.9% 3-PT) and 3.7 assists in three games against the Warriors this season. CJ McCollum averaged 22.3 points (47.9% FG, 40.7% 3-PT), 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists in four contests against Golden State.

Lillard said getting the Blazers into the postseason was the “biggest accomplishment” of his career.

“Lot of fingers were pointed at me from the outside when we struggled, and people said a lot of things about me,” Lillard said. “I didn’t make excuses or cry about it. I said I would be better and I would man up – and I did just that. Now we stayed locked in and go try to shock the world.’’

Lillard scored 59 points (18-34 FG, 9-14 3-PT) against the Jazz on Apr. 8 to set a new Trail Blazers record for points in a game. Lillard is the only player in NBA history with 59+ points and 9+ 3-pointers in a game. Lillard is from Oakland so he always gets fired up playing at Golden State.

For the Trail Blazers to have a shot at pushing this series to six or seven games, Jusuf Nurkic needs to be available, but he has missed the past handful of games with a broken leg. If Nurkic doesn’t recover from his leg injury in time, the Blazers will again try to ratchet up the tempo and feast from three-point range.

Why Bet On Golden State?

The Warriors have the best record in the NBA yet again this season and are the clear title favorites. They were 4-0 vs. Portland this season. Kevin Durant averaged 29.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists in four games against the Trail Blazers this season. Stephen Curry averaged 27.3 points while shooting 48.4% from the 3-point line (15-of- 31) in three games against the Trail Blazers.

Golden State is the first team in NBA history to win at least 65 games in three straight seasons. With the 121-107 win vs. the Timberwolves (4/4), the Warriors broke the record for most wins in a 3-season span in NBA history. Golden State surpassed the Chicago Bulls’ (1995-96 – 1997-98) mark of 203 wins. The Warriors have joined the Bulls (1995-96 and 1996-97) as the only teams to win 30 road games in back-to-back seasons. The Warriors also are the first team in NBA history to win 90 road games in a 3-season span and became the 1st team to earn 28 road victories in 3 straight seasons.

The Warriors average 22.6 fast-break points per game, 1st in the NBA. The Warriors are 29-2 this season when recording 25 or more fast-break points in a game. This season 16 times the Warriors have had 30 or more fast-break points in a game.

Golden State is ranked 1st in offensive rating (113.3) and second in defensive rating (101.2), trailing only the Spurs (100.9). The Warriors have a league-best net rating of 12.1, the next team, the Spurs, have an 8.0 net rating. Since the start of the 2014-15 season, the Warriors own a 113-9 (.926) record in regular-season home games. The Warriors have scored 100 or more points in 75 games this season (66-9 in those contests). The Warriors lead the NBA in point differential (+11.6).