At Chase Center, it is Game 2 for the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets. Two days ago, we witnessed a clean victory for Steve Kerr’s team (123-107).
Jordan Poole made an excellent playoff debut with the Warriors, scoring 30 points. Stephen Curry eventually participated in the game, starting from the bench and added 16 points in just 22 minutes.
The 34-year-old superstar’s condition is getting better ahead of Game 2. However, it is not clear yet whether he will be in the Warriors’ starting lineup.
On the other hand, the Denver Nuggets were not competitive enough to claim anything from Game 1. Nikola Jokic’s numbers (25 points and 10 rebounds) were disappointing considering his total shot percentage (12/29).
The whole team wants to bounce back, otherwise they will have a mountain to climb in Denver for Games 3 and 4.
I think that tonight’s game will not provide any shocking result. I’m predicting a second easy victory for the Warriors, covering the handicap of -4.5 (odds at 1.62).
I’m also going to predict that Draymond Green will finish this game with a double-double performance (odds at 2.82). In Game 1, his numbers were great in just 29 minutes of playing time (12 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists).
Safe bet: GSW win -4.5 (1.62)
Value Bet: Draymond Green double-double (2.82)
In Philadelphia, at Wells Fargo Center, the 76ers will face Toronto Raptors for the second game of the series.
In Game 1, the Sixers performed really well (131-111), with Tyrese Maxey having the best game of his career so far (38 points, 20 PIR).
It is remarkable that every Sixers’ player participating in the game had a positive performance index rating. On the contrary, every Raptors’ starter ended the game with a negative PIR.
Their shooting percentage was pretty disappointing (48.8% FG). Pascal Siakam scored 24 points, while OG Anunoby added 20.
I expect that things are going to be different in Game 2. The Raptors simply can not perform this bad twice in a playoff series.
Even if the Sixers win, my safe pick is that they will not cover the handicap +7.5 given for the Raptors (odds at 1.82).
However, considering that Nick Nurse’s guys will improve tonight, my fun bet is that they “break” Sixers’ home advantage (odds at 3.60).
Safe Bet: Toronto Raptors +7.5 (1.87)
Fun Bet: Toronto Raptors win (3.60)
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