The Golden State Warriors’ title defense will begin with a tough first-round matchup against the No. 7 seed San Antonio Spurs. These teams are used to meeting deeper in the postseason, but an injury-plagued regular season dropped San Antonio to one of the final teams into the playoffs.
The Warriors will be without superstar point guard Stephen Curry but still boast the powerful trio of Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. They will be the favorites both in this series and in Game 1, especially because it is at home.
San Antonio has one of the best coaches in the NBA in Gregg Popovich and a solid defense, but scoring enough to keep up in this series could be an issue. However, the oddsmakers have a lot of faith in Golden State, which could make the Spurs a solid underdog bet in NBA basketball betting lines.
Game 1 of this NBA Playoff Series is on Saturday, April 14, 2018 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The contest will be nationally televised on ABC.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Odds Analysis
Golden State enters this game as an 8.5-point favorite. Thus far, the Spurs are getting about 55 percent of the action to cover the spread. The Warriors are -385 favorites on the moneyline while the Spurs are +3-6 underdogs to win the series opener. The scoring total is listed at 209.5 points as these teams play opposite styles.
The Warriors are the favorites to win the NBA title, as oddsmakers have posted their chances at +129 to claim the championship. The Spurs are much longer shots at +3971. San Antonio would likely have to go through both the Warriors and Houston Rockets to make the NBA Finals, which would be tough.
Golden State is listed as a -1050 favorite to beat San Antonio in this series. The Spurs are getting the overwhelming action as heavy underdogs as bettors like the lucrative payout at +689 if San Antonio is able to come away with the win.
Injury Report
The Warriors are expected to be without Steph Curry in this series. Golden State’s star point guard missed the last 10 games of the season due to an MCL strain he suffered in late March and, while there is hope of him returning at some point in the postseason, it’s unclear when.
Curry has been battling injuries all season long, missing six straight games in early March and 11 straight back in December. Even with all the other stars they have on the court, the Warriors will be eager to get him back as soon as possible.
Kawhi Leonard is a player the Spurs would desperately like back. The 26-year-old star has only appeared in eight games for San Antonio this season due to injuries and it’s unclear if he will be back from a quadriceps injury that has kept him sidelined for months.
Matchup To Watch
LaMarcus Aldridge vs. Kevin Durant -- The two forwards have drastically different styles, and it will be interesting to see how often they guard each other in this series. Durant is the sharpshooter and one of the most dominant scorers in the league.
Aldridge is your more typical low-post forward. If Leonard doesn’t play in this series, the Spurs will be relying heavily on Aldridge. If he can score consistently from the low post in the half-court, it would help slow the game down and give the Spurs a chance.
The Warriors, meanwhile, want to run at all opportunities and bomb from long distance. Durant is deadly from out there and the Spurs must get a hand in his face.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Warriors should be able to take care of business at home in this one as the crowd will be raucous. The Spurs may be able to put a scare into Golden State at some point in this series, but not in Game 1. Take the Warriors to not only win this game but also cover the sizable spread in NBA basketball odds.
NBA ATS Pick: Warriors 107, Spurs 99
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