The Toronto Raptors (+210 to win the title) have punched their tickets to the NBA Finals for the first-time ever in franchise history. It’s not about to get easy for the Raps, though, as they will be facing next the dynastic Golden State Warriors (-280), who are looking to complete a rare three-peat. The Durant-less Warriors, however, unlike in their previous trips to the Finals, are not enjoying home-court advantage to begin the series. Which team will draw first blood in the 2019 NBA Finals?
Betting on the Golden State Warriors (57-25 Regular Season)
One of the most compelling story lines for the Warriors in the playoffs is the health of Kevin Durant. Durant is likely to miss Game 1 of the NBA Finals and there’s a good chance he’ll not play at all in the series due to a calf injury that he sustained back in the second round against the Houston Rockets. With or without Durant, though, the Warriors are still capable of playing like a machine, especially on offense. After all, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are both healthy along with do-it-all forward in Draymond Green. Curry showed why he’s a two-time MVP in the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers in which the sweet-shooting guard dropped an average of 36.5 points per game to go with a ridiculous 42.5 percent shooting from 3-point range. Draymond Green has also stepped it up since Durant went down with an injury, as he’s done nothing but stuff the stat sheet and be the always dependable Swiss Army knife for the defending champs. Green is averaging 13.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game in the playoffs.
The Warriors, who are tops in the postseason with 117.3 points per game, are 4-1 straight up (SU) and 2-2-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last five trips to Toronto.
Betting on the Toronto Raptors (58-24 Regular Season)
In just one season, Kawhi Leonard has managed to insert himself on the list of all-time greats in Raptors history. With an astounding performance in the playoffs, Leonard has brought the Raptors just four wins away from giving the franchise its first-ever NBA title. The two-way superstar was a puzzle that the Milwaukee Bucks couldn’t solve in the Eastern Conference Finals. Leonard had his way on offense while also playing stifling defense. He is averaging 31.2 points on 50.7 percent shooting from the field. He’ll have his hands full in defending against Golden State’s gang of scorers, but the Raptors have proven they can disarm an offensive powerhouse when they booted the Bucks out of title contention. The Raptors held Milwaukee – the highest-scoring team in the regular season – below 100 points in regulation time in each of the last four games of the East Finals. Among all teams that made it out of the first round of the playoffs, the Raptors have the best scoring defense, with just 99.6 points allowed per contest. With Durant out for Golden State, the Raptors’ big man tandem of Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol will have to impose their will to make the Warriors sweat it out on defense.
The Raptors are 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games.
