The Golden State Warriors didn’t have Kevin Durant for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night in Toronto and it certainly made a difference. Will KD play in Game 2 on Sunday? Not looking likely, and the NBA odds have been affected because of that and Toronto’s opening victory.
How to Bet Warriors at Raptors Game 2 NBA Odds & TV Info
- When: Sunday, 8 PM ET
- Where: Scotiabank Arena
- TV: ABC
- Stream: WatchESPN
- Radio: Tunein.com
- NBA Odds: Raptors -2 (total 215)
Why Bet on Golden State?
Maybe the Warriors need Kevin Durant after all. They had been unbeaten since KD left Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets but that streak ended on Thursday as the Warriors lost 118-109 in Toronto in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Durant is not expected to play in Game 2 with his calf injury. Head coach Steve Kerr has said Durant was cleared to take part in individual on-court basketball activities, but the 10-time All-Star — who has missed the past six postseason games — actually began his on-court basketball workouts earlier this week. Kerr said that Durant must go through a full practice before he is given the green light to return to action and that’s it’s not likely he will practice before Game 2. Realistically, Durant won’t play until Game 4.
Stephen Curry made 8-of-18 from the field for 34 points with five rebounds, five assists, one steal, three turnovers and four 3-pointers in 40 minutes in Thursday’s loss. That’s six straight playoff games with 30-plus points for Steph, putting him just one shy of the NBA record. The Warriors fell to 31-2 with Curry and without Durant in the lineup all-time.
Draymond Green triple-doubled during the Game 1 loss, scoring 10 points with 10 rebounds, 10 assists, one steal and six turnovers in 40 minutes. It was Green’s second career NBA Finals triple-double. He has really upped his game since Durant has been out. Green picked up his 3rd triple-double in as many games, making him the 3rd player with 3 straight triple-doubles in NBA postseason history.
DeMarcus Cousins came off the bench for just eight minutes against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, scoring three points with two assists, two steals and one turnover. In his first game since April 15, he was essentially the third-string center behind Jordan Bell and Kevon Looney. Possible that Cousins may start over Bell in Game 2 on Sunday.
Kerr said Andre Iguodala (leg) is “doing OK” after the Game 1 loss. Iguodala tweaked his left leg in the fourth quarter, which may have been an aggravation from Game 3 against the Blazers. Iggy finished Game 1 with six points, six rebounds, seven assists, one block and two turnovers in 29 minutes.
The Warriors have won at least one road game in each of the last 22 playoff series, extending their NBA record. That could be in some jeopardy here.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 117.53
- Field Goal Percentage: 48.97
- Three-Point Percentage: 38.27
- Free Throw Percentage: 80.61
- Total Rebounds: 45.82
Defense
- Total Score: 111.17
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.41
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.06
- Free Throw Percentage: 77.65
- Total Rebounds: 43.69
Why Bet on Toronto?
How rare was Toronto’s win Thursday? It was the Warriors’ first loss in Game 1 of the NBA Finals under Steve Kerr (first Game 1 on the road). It also snapped an NBA-record 12 consecutive series opening wins for Golden State. Toronto is now 3-0 against Golden State this season. The Raptors are now the fourth team since the NBA-ABA merger (1977) to win in their NBA Finals debut and the 1st team to do so since the Mavericks in 2006.
It was a zoo in Toronto on Thursday in the first-ever NBA Finals game outside the United States as Toronto took a 1-0 lead. What made that win shocking was that Kawhi Leonard wasn’t a huge factor. Leonard made just 5-of-14 from the field for 23 points with eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, two turnovers and three 3-pointers in 43 minutes. Well, a factor but making only five shots!?
The clear star was Pascal Siakam. He made 14-of-17 from the field and both free throws for playoff career-high 32 points, adding eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks, one steal and two 3-pointers in 40 minutes. Siakam joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan as the only players since 1970 with a 30-point game in the NBA Finals in their first three seasons in the NBA.
Siakam’s 32 points were the most in an NBA Finals debut since Kevin Durant in 2012 (36). Siakam made 11 straight field goals at one point, the longest streak in any Finals game over the last 20 seasons.
Marc Gasol scored 20 points with seven rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block and two 3-pointers in 30 minutes in Game 1. The Warriors left him open in the first half, leading to 14 first-half points to help the Raptors get a 10-point lead. Fred VanVleet scored 15 off the bench on eight shots. Danny Green broke slump with three triples on seven attempts.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 112.78
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.84
- Three-Point Percentage: 36.27
- Free Throw Percentage: 80.67
- Total Rebounds: 44.64
Defense
- Total Score: 106.79
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.34
- Three-Point Percentage: 33.90
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.77
- Total Rebounds: 45.17
Warriors vs Raptors 2019 NBA Finals Game 2 Betting Trends
- Warriors are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 vs. Eastern Conference.
- Warriors are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 Sunday games.
- Raptors are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games.
- Raptors are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight up win.
- Warriors are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
