NBA Playoff Betting Picks May 16 – Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors
If the Portland Trail Blazers are to have different outcome in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final they better play a helluva a lot better.
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And they should also hope the Golden State Warriors cool off a bit. The Blazers were overmatched on Tuesday, losing the opener by 22 points on a night their starting backcourt combined for 36 points. That’s not going to cut it and the duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum has to be better if the Blazers are to knot the series. We’ll see if they can respond on Thursday night.
Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors
Date and Time: Thursday, May 16, 2019, 9 p.m. ET
Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
Opening NBA Odds: Golden State -8, O/U 217
Trail Blazers at Warriors TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
Admittedly the Blazers played an awful game and it doesn’t matter who the opponent is, when that happens wins are difficult to get. There was some solace, however. For as poorly as they played, the Blazers were down just six points heading into the final quarter. “I think we played a terrible game and we still had a chance going into the fourth quarter,” McCollum said. Portland has gotten a first-hand look at how the defending champs turn it on at playoff time. The Blazers won four of the last seven regular season meetings, but they are just 1-9 in the last 10 playoff games dating back to 2016.
I said if any team can overcome the loss of a superstar it’s the Warriors. And they proved me right by outclassing Portland in the opener. Without Kevin Durant the Dubs turned to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to supply the offense and they came through combining for 62 points. The Dubs shot 50 percent from the floor overall and made 51.5 percent of their triples in their most efficient offensive performance in some time. Maybe the writing is on the wall for Durant, who would be welcome in New York.
Trail Blazers
The Blazers can’t expect to beat the Warriors by playing a below average game. Hell, even if they play an average game they’re likely to lose. The good news is that they can’t get much worse after shooting 36.1 percent from the field and committing 21 turnovers in the opener. Not that they need an excuse and they weren’t making any after the 116-94 loss on Tuesday, but the Blazers had a quick turnaround from their Game 7 win over Denver. They went directly to the Bay Area and they looked fatigued.
Now that they’re settled down a bit I would expect Lillard and McCollum to perform better than they did in Game 1. Dame was just 4 of 12 from the field and got nearly half of his 19 points by making all nine free throws. McCollum, the hero last Sunday in Denver, missed five of his six three-point shots and tallied 17 points. The duo combined to average 54 points per game in the first two rounds and netted just 36 in the opener.
Warriors
I think we can say Curry has snapped out of his shooting slump. With Durant out, Steph had a vintage shooting performance in the opener making 9 of 15 three-pointers and scoring 36 points. Thompson chipped in with three triples and added 26 points as the Dubs pulled away in the fourth quarter to secure their ninth win over the Blazers in the last 10 playoff games.
I would expect the Blazers to be sharper on Thursday and the Dubs are arrogant enough to think they can blow them out again. That’s a recipe for disaster. Durant isn’t expected to play so it’ll be up to Curry and Thompson to supply the offense once again. Golden State also got a boost from the return of Damian Jones, who hadn’t played since December. He saw limited action on Tuesday, but his minutes should increase giving the Dubs added depth.
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I would have been stunned if the Blazers won the opener after what they went through. Playing in Denver on Sunday and heading directly to the Bay Area while the Dubs had a few extra days of rest put them at a huge disadvantage. And it showed late in the game. I don’t think Portland is going to win this game, but they will play better and narrow the gap. Look for Lillard and McCollum to do more offensively, making that 8-point spread inviting.
NBA Playoff Score Prediction: Warriors 113, Trail Blazers 107
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