Golden State has the deeper team and the home court advantage once again, which is why it is a heavy favorite to move ahead 2-0 in this series when it is over. Not surprisingly, an entertaining back-and-forth affair is expected as Portland desperately tries to figure out a way to stay within striking distance of the Warriors’ elite offense.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, April 19, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. ET Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Wednesday schedule.
NBA Odds
The Warriors are listed as 15-point favorites in this matchup and are heavy -2500 to win straight up on the moneyline. The Blazers will pay off handsomely if they can pull the upset, with their line set at +1175 to steal the victory. The scoring total is set at 221 points.
Golden State is 68-15 straight up and 40-39-4 against the spread. The Warriors have gone 21-18-3 against the spread at home and they have gone 38-38-4 against the spread as the favorite. Despite an easy win last time out, Golden State failed to cover since the spread is so high in these home games against the No. 8 seed Blazers.
Portland is 41-42 straight up and 41-42 against the spread on the season. The Blazers have covered in 19 of 42 attempts on the road this season. Portland is 17-20 against the spread as the underdog this season including the cover in Game 1.
Last Time Out
McCollum was great in the first game, scoring 41 points, and his excellence helped keep this game tied up through three quarters. However, the Warriors clamped down in the fourth quarter, holding Portland to only 21 points to run away with a 121-109 victory.
Kevin Durant led the way, scoring 32 points on 12-of-20 from the field. Stephen Curry was also good, going for 29 points and adding four assists. The Warriors shot 53 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from three-point range.
McCollum hit 16-of-28 from the field to lead the game in scoring and teammate Lillard added 34 points and five rebounds. The problem for the Blazers was that no other player scored more than 11 points. While the backcourt is impressive, Portland will need a couple of other players to step up, and the defense has to find a way to slow down the Golden State juggernaut.
Player to Watch
Draymond Green -- While there is plenty of attention spent on the backcourts of these teams since they boast so much talent, the Golden State power forward was fantastic in Game 1. He scored 19 points, added 12 rebounds and had nine assists, falling just short of a triple-double.
Green plays fantastic defense, and if he can contribute that much regularly throughout the series, the Warriors will be in great shape.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Blazers held up well through three quarters against Golden State, but McCollum and Lillard aren’t likely to shoot as well as they did again in Game 2. Portland’s best chance will come from getting unexpected games from some of their role players.
However, the Warriors’ star power is just too high. Golden State is back to full health now that Durant is back on the court, and it’s going to be extremely hard for anyone to slow them down. For the No. 8 seed, it’s nearly impossible.
The big question is centered around the spread. While Golden State likely won’t allow Portland to keep this game as close through three quarters, a backdoor cover for the Blazers seems likely with some important shots down the stretch. The “over” is the easy call on the scoring total.
NBA Odds: Warriors 119, Trail Blazers 107
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