Virtually no one figured that the Memphis Grizzlies (60-29 SU, 44-42-3 ATS) would ever manage to win a game on the road in the second round of the playoffs. Alas, they have done the job, and they are now going to give it their all to make that home court advantage pay against the top-seeded Golden State Warriors (72-16 SU, 49-38-1 ATS) on Saturday night in Game 3.
THE MASKED MAN
We knew that Mike Conley Jr. was going to make a huge difference when he was able to return to this series from his facial injuries suffered in the series against Portland. We didn't know that he was going to outplay arguably the best backcourt tandem in the NBA, though.
In Game 2, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined to go just 3-of-17 from beyond the arc, and they scored 19 and 13 points respectively. They also had eight turnovers against just eight assists between them as well, and they only had one steal between them.
Meanwhile, Conley on his own, playing in just 27 minutes, shot 8-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-6 from downtown. He scored 22 points and turned the ball over just once with three assists.
Clearly, Conley had some help, but the fact of the matter is that he was the glue in terms of the backcourt defense which really flustered the Warriors. Courtney Lee was able to be a lot freer on the offensive end, and the combination of he, Conley and Tony Allen was basically able to dare Golden State to take really tough shots.
For live betting purposes, this could be crucial. We expect to see Conley play more along the lines of 35 minutes on Saturday night, and that could make life even harder on the Warriors. We know that Curry and Thompson can make all of the tough shots and make even the best defense look terrible, but as educated fans, we know that the degree of difficulty hitting shots in Memphis against that defense is extremely high.
ASSISTING YOUR EFFORTS
Here's the stat that will prove to you why Golden State won Game 1 and lost Game 2 of this series. The Dubs had 26 assists on 39 made baskets in Game 1. They had 16 assists on 31 made baskets in Game 2.
Forget about the fact that making 31 shots isn't going to beat anyone in the NBA playoffs in all likelihood. The key stat here is that 16 assists.
So often, the Golden State offense just looked bogged down when it was forced into a half-court game, something that Memphis is excellent at forcing. We knew that the possibility was there for this to be a big problem in this series for the Warriors, and it has proven to be that way.
The live betting tip here is simple: If the Warriors go through the first half of this game and are just stagnant offensively, you know that things are going the way of Memphis. If the ball is moving around the perimeter and good, relatively uncontested shots are being hoisted in the air, you know that Golden State is in much better shape.
EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS
Halfway through the fourth quarter of Game 2, the Grizzlies were up by 11 against Golden State. In live betting though, they were only lined at -5.5, essentially asking the Warriors to make up six points in six minutes.
Here's the problem that live bettors have. There's this affinity out there with Golden State, knowing that it can score points in bunches like no team in the league. And yes, it's true that the Warriors erased that crazy lead against New Orleans in Game 3 against the Pelicans, but that was once in a lifetime type of stuff.
We're not saying that live betting on the Dubs is a bad idea in general, but it definitely is worth trying to value the betting line based upon what is going on in the game. Don't be stunned if you find some really good value on Memphis at various intervals of this one.
BookMaker has already posted the spread for this Saturday soiree. Golden State is set at -4, while the total chimes in at 196. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The showdown between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies will start at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 9, 2015, at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN. The contest will be broadcast on ABC.
