The Golden State Warriors finished with the best record in the NBA this season and will enter the postseason as the favorite to reclaim the crown. Their journey will begin in the first round against the No. 8 seed Portland Trail Blazers.
Golden State is back to full strength with the recent return of Kevin Durant and is one of the most talented teams in the history of the league. Expectations are sky-high, and the proof will come in later rounds against teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers or Houston Rockets.
For now, Golden State will want to take care of business quickly to avoid any unneeded wear and tear on its body heading into the teeth of the playoffs. The Warriors will be heavy favorites against Portland both in Game 1 and in this series.
This war on the floor will go down Sunday, April 16, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The game will be televised live on ABC.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Sunday schedule.
NBA Odds
Golden State is listed as a 14.5-point favorite in the opening round game. The Warriors are huge -2400 favorites on the moneyline to capture this game, while the Blazers are +1150 underdogs. The scoring total is listed at 222 points.
The Warriors finished the regular season with a record of 67-15 straight up and 40-38-2 against the spread. They were 20-17-3 against the spread at home this season. Golden State was remarkably only an underdog in three games throughout the entire regular season. The Warriors are 38-37-4 against the spread as the favorite on the season.
The Trail Blazers went 41-41 straight up in the regular season and 40-42 against the spread. They covered in 18 of 41 home games and should get plenty of points in this one. Portland is 16-20 against the spread as the underdog on the season.
Injury Report
The Warriors have their star quartet intact with the recent return of Kevin Durant. He missed a significant portion of the season due to a knee injury but was able to see the court again for the last three games heading into the playoffs.
Durant has been eased back in but should be good to go moving forward. He is an essential piece, averaging 25.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game on the year while shooting a sparkling 53.5 percent from the field.
The biggest concern is with the chemistry of the Warriors, but they played together for most of the season and should be fine, especially in a series where they have such an advantage in personnel.
Golden State may be missing Matt Barnes early in the series against Portland, but his absence won’t affect the spread as he is a role player.
Season Series
The teams played four times during the regular season and the Warriors captured every game. They dominated the first two, winning by 23 and then a ridiculous 45 points, but the Blazers were more competitive in the final two matchups.
On Jan. 4, the Warriors held on for a 125-117 home victory, and then on Jan. 29 Portland made its best effort, losing just 113-111 at home. Stephen Curry didn’t play in that game because of the stomach flu, and the Trail Blazers had a chance to take a lead as time winded down, but Evan Turner missed a three-pointer.
The playoff series could go very much like the regular season, with the Warriors either sweeping, or, at worst, winning in five games over Portland.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Blazers come into this series scorching hot, with victories in 13 of their final 16 games in the regular season to surge ahead of the Denver Nuggets for the final playoff spot. While they will be heavy underdogs in the first game, it is important to consider Portland’s chances of covering the spread.
These could be an entertaining opener, as Golden State’s crowd will be in hysterics but the backcourt duo of C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard could put up some of its own fireworks.
In the end, Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will take control of this one and allow the Warriors to pick up the win. However, don’t get swept into Warriors mania. The Blazers will cover in this one, and the “under” could be the right play if the scoring total comes in too high.
NBA Odds: Warriors 119, Trail Blazers 109
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