For the first time ever, a Golden State Warriors team with a healthy Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were underdogs in a basketball game. They made that spread look silly in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors used a dominant second half to pull away from the Houston Rockets and take an early lead in their Western Conference Finals matchup.
The Rockets couldn’t take advantage of their home court advantage in Game 1 and now badly need to hold serve in Game 2 or face the prospect of getting blown out of this series. The Warriors are the defending champions and favorites once again but Houston has always been looked at as their chief challenger.
The Rockets had a great regular season and cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs, but are well aware the Warriors are a different animal. Houston needs its role players to step up in a huge way next time out in NBA basketball wagering.
Game 2 of this NBA Playoff Series is on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at 8 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The contest will be nationally televised on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Odds Analysis
The Rockets were slight favorites in Game 1 and the Warriors covered easily. The initial line for Game 2 has stayed consistent, as Houston is listed as a 2-point favorite to rebound and even up this series.
The scoring total was 225 points in Game 1, which was right on as the teams combined for that exact amount of points. Unsurprisingly, the scoring total for Game 2 is listed at 224.5 points.
The moneyline has not yet been released but the Rockets will likely come in as slight favorites and the Warriors slight underdogs. It is likely that Golden State gets the majority of the action after the way it performed last time out combined with its long track record of success.
Last Time Out
Game 1 was tied at the half, as the Rockets jumped out to an early lead and the teams went back-and-forth for two quarters. But the Warriors have been dominant in the third quarter this postseason and the trend continued.
They outscored the Rockets by seven points to take control and then kept it rolling in the fourth for a 119-106 victory. Kevin Durant was fantastic, finishing with 37 points on 14-of-27 from the floor. Klay Thompson was also a big key, adding 28 points while shooting 50 percent. Draymond Green only had five points but again affected the game in myriad ways with nine rebounds, nine assists and great defense.
James Harden did what he could for Houston, scoring 41 points on 14-of-24 from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range. Chris Paul added 23 points but the role players did not look good, as many of them shot poorly.
Key Stat
3. That’s how many dominant scorers the Warriors have, which means one can have an off night because two others will pick them up. It happened in Game 1, as Curry didn’t dominate but the team didn’t need him to do so.
The Rockets only have one elite scorer in Harden and they have to be much more balanced. P.J. Tucker only had one point in 35 minutes while Luc Mbah A Moute finished with zero points, missing all six of his shots. Eric Gordon was decent and he will be a big key moving forward.
The Warriors are known for their offense but they are also a good defensive team, and Houston must find a way to figure them out. It’s imperative for them to sink open shots in Game 2.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Rockets’ backs are against the wall and they know that a win in Game 2 is paramount to keep things realistic. A 2-0 deficit heading back to Golden State would be nearly insurmountable. Durant made a lot of shots from deep and he may not do quite as good next time out. However, Curry could then take the lead.
The Warriors are too deep and talented. Take Golden State to win yet again in Houston to take a lot of air out of a series that many believed would be a classic in NBA basketball gambling.
NBA ATS Pick: Warriors 110, Rockets 105
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