NBA Betting: Warriors Open Finals On Road
The NBA Finals tips off in Toronto on Thursday night, as the Golden State Warriors visit the Toronto Raptors looking for their third straight NBA title and fourth in the last five years.
Most sportsbooks have the Raptors listed as a 1-point favorite in Game 1, but at Bovada Sportsbook you’ll currently find the Warriors down as a 1-point road favorite. That’s despite the fact Kevin Durant remains sidelined with a calf injury that has caused him to miss the Warriors’ last five games.
Being without Durant hasn’t hurt the Warriors yet, as they head into the Finals on a six-game winning streak, during which they are 3-2-1 against the spread. Overall in this year’s postseason, they are 12-4 straight up and 7-8-1 ATS. On the road, Golden State is 6-2 SU and 4-3-1 ATS, which includes a 4-1 SU record and 2-2-1 ATS mark as a road favorite.
Toronto is 4-0 ATS in last four as home underdog
The Raptors enter the Finals having won four straight both SU and ATS. Overall during their playoff run, they are 12-6 SU and 10-8 ATS. At home they’ve been unbeatable lately with five straight wins at 4-1 ATS, and they’re 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS overall at home during the postseason.
This season Toronto was a home underdog only once: a 120-102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks as a 3-point underdog. In their last four games overall as a home underdog, Toronto is 4-0 ATS.
This season the Warriors and Raptors met up twice and Toronto won both matchups while going 1-1 ATS. They last clashed at Golden State on December 12 and Toronto upset the Warriors 113-93 as an 8-point underdog.
Prior to this season, the Warriors had totally dominated the Raptors with eight straight wins against them. However, anyone betting on Golden State in those games didn’t make a profit as the Warriors were 3-4-1 ATS. In their last five games in Toronto, the Warriors are 4-1 SU and 2-2-1 ATS.
Warriors, Raptors polar opposites in series openers
Looking at Game 1 trends for both sides, the Warriors appear to have the edge. Since their championship run began in 2015, Golden State is 18-1 SU and 11-8 ATS in Game 1 of a playoff series. The Raptors are a poor 3-15 SU in Game 1 of a series, with a 4-14 ATS record.