It was natural to be concerned for the Golden State Warriors as they drew the battle-tested San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. But thus far, there have been no worries at all. The Warriors have rolled in the first two games of this series and can step on San Antonio’s neck with a Game 3 win on the road.
If the Spurs have any hope of making this a series they will need to pull out a win next time out, but that is easier said than done. Golden State has looked like the superior team in all phases thus far, even without star point guard Stephen Curry. San Antonio is missing Kawhi Leonard like it has been much of the season and doesn’t have the same depth as Golden State.
The Warriors will aim to all but wrap up an easy first round win by taking care of business in Game 3 in NBA basketball gambling.
Game 3 of this NBA Playoff Series is on Thursday, April 19, 2018 at 9:30 p.m. ET at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, 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 Warriors are listed as three-point road favorites, a pretty small number after the lopsided results of the first two games. The oddsmakers clearly believe the Spurs will give it their best shot in this one and keep it close at home with the benefit of the crowd behind them. The betting public believes this spread is way off as the Warriors are getting more than 92 percent of the action to cover the spread.
The scoring total is listed at 206 points, which would be a nod to San Antonio slowing down this game and playing at its pace. The “under” is the more common choice on the total.
Golden State is listed as the -160 favorite on the moneyline, while the Spurs are the +140 underdog to pull off the upset.
Last Time Out
LaMarcus Aldridge did what he could, but it wasn’t enough. The All-Star forward finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds against the Warriors in Game 2, a drastic improvement over his performance in Game 1, but the Warriors were still the better team, turning in a strong second-half on their way to a 116-101 win.
Golden State is still without Curry, who is expected to miss all of this series, but if Klay
Thompson and Kevin Durant keep playing like this, fans could still see a series sweep. Thompson had 31 points and went 5-of-8 from three-point range while Durant put up 32 points, six rebounds and six assists.
As a unit, Golden State, shot 52.6 percent from the field and 48.4 percent from behind-the-arc. After finishing the regular season in less-than-impressive fashion, losing three of their final four games, the defending champions have proven to be the team to beat again so far in the postseason.
Key Stat
18. That’s been the average margin of victory for the Warriors in the first two games between these teams, which is why so many people are jumping on Golden State to cover just a three-point spread.
Durant and Thompson have led the way as Golden State’s offense has not been slowed down by San Antonio. The Spurs allowed the fewest points in the NBA on the season and need to find a way to slow down Golden State’s stars in order to have a shot at the upset in Game 3.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Matchups can look completely different when a series switches locations, and the oddsmakers clearly believe the Spurs have one stand left in them. However, the belief here is that San Antonio knows it doesn’t have the firepower to hang with the Warriors.
Take Golden State to win this game and cover the spread, setting up a possible sweep in NBA basketball gambling.
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!
