The San Antonio Spurs avoided a first-round sweep by knocking off the Golden State Warriors last time out, but they are going to need a miracle to extend this series past five games. The Warriors return home still up 3-1 and will be expected to punch their ticket to the second round with a victory over San Antonio.
The Spurs did a really nice job on defense last time out and had many different player step up in a home win that extended their season. But even without star point guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors have the more talented team and should be able to capture Game 5.
Golden State could be one of the first teams with a berth in the second round by taking care of business against the Spurs in Game 5 in NBA basketball betting.
Game 5 of this NBA Playoff Series is on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at 10:30 p.m. ET at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. 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 have been listed as 11-point favorites as the oddsmakers believe they won’t have much trouble closing out the series. The betting public does not believe that spread is too high as the Warriors have garnered approximately 75 percent of the early action to cover.
The scoring total is listed at 204.5 points, a figure much lower than most Warriors games. This series has been low-scoring as the defense on both sides has been stout. The “over” has been the choice most commonly by gamblers.
The Warriors are huge -950 favorites on the moneyline to win this game, while the Spurs are +639 underdogs to pull off the upset. San Antonio would pay off nicely but the chances of a win on the road against a formidable foe are slim.
Last Time Out
The Spurs jumped out to a double-digit halftime lead in Game 4 and then held off Golden State’s rally. LaMarcus Aldridge led the way for the Spurs with 22 points and 10 rebounds, hitting several key shots down the stretch, including a shot-clock-beating three-pointer to keep the Warriors at bay.
Manu Ginobili had a nice game off the bench, adding 16 points and five assists. Ginobili is not the same great player he used to be but is still a nice piece that can have a big impact at times. San Antonio won without coach Gregg Popovich, who missed his second straight game after the death of his wife of more than four decades. It is unknown if Popovich will coach in Game 5.
The Warriors were led by Kevin Durant, who had 34 points and 13 rebounds. Draymond Green had a nice game but Golden State didn’t have anyone besides Durant score more than 12 points, which is very unlike this team.
Player To Watch
Klay Thompson -- While Durant is going to get his points, the Warriors need a second banana with Curry out for this series with a sprained knee. Thompson filled that role perfectly in the first three games as he averaged nearly 26 points per contest as Golden State built a 3-0 lead.
In Game 4, however, Thompson scored only 12 points on 4-of-16 from the floor. His poor performance made it so that the Warriors struggled on offense. However, Thompson is one of the sweetest shooters in the NBA and should have no problem bouncing back at home in Game 5. If that happens, Golden State should be in good shape to close out the series.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Spurs showed some nice resilience by controlling Game 4 from the opening tip and coming away with the victory. However, that was probably their last stand as the Warriors head home and will be intent on closing this one out.
Look for Durant and Thompson to play well. The spread is pretty high, though. The Spurs aren’t going to go down without a fight and should be able to cover in NBA basketball wagering. Take the “over” as the teams should shoot pretty efficiently in this one.
NBA ATS Pick: Warriors 109, Spurs 102
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