The Warriors rallied back from a 15-point deficit at halftime on Thursday to take a 2-0 lead on the road to Portland. Brother versus brother was the subplot — as the Curry brothers finished with 53 total points in the head-to-head matchup. Here’s a sports betting recap from Game 2 and a look ahead to tonight’s tilt in Portland.
The underlying story in Game 2 seemed to be the play of Curry versus Curry. However, the main plot from Game 2 can be summarized in two words — missed opportunity. The Trail Blazers had an all-important road victory in their clutches at halftime — only to see it slip away as Damian Lillard was blocked as time expired by Andre Iguodala.
Coach Terry Stotts acknowledged the Blazers’ missed opportunity. “It is a lost opportunity, no question, We had a chance to get one here on the road,” Stotts said following the game. Instead the Blazers desperately need a victory tonight to avoid being pushed to the brink of elimination.
Stephen Curry led the scoring for the Warriors in the 114-110 victory — scoring 37 points with 8 dimes and 8 rebounds. Draymond Green stuffed the stat sheet — putting together a 16-point, 10-rebound and 7-assist line. Klay Thompson added 24 points — with 13 coming in the Warriors’ 39-point third quarter.
While the Blazers played better in Game 2 on both sides of the court — Damian Lillard struggled out of the gates. Ultimately, Lillard finished with 23 points but only on 6 for 16 shooting.
The Blazers will look for more from their star guard as they return home as 2.5-point favorites in Game 3 on FanDuel Sportsbook. The O/U is set at 221 — with bookmakers likely siding with scoring in Kevin Durant’s absence.
Stat of the Day
The Warriors are 31-4 in the postseason when Stephen Curry scores 30 or more points. Curry is likely to continue shouldering more of the load on offense with both Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins confirmed out for at least another week before being re-evaluated.
Prop Shop: Stephen Curry O/U 32.5 Points
While the shot attempts remain pretty steady, scoring has been up for Stephen Curry with Kevin Durant off the court. In the last three games without Kevin Durant — Curry scored 33, 36, and 37 points on pretty efficient shooting. Without Durant again on the road, Curry should see his typical 21-24 shots with potential for more if pundits are correct about the Blazers playing with a lead.
At the time of this writing, FanDuel Sportsbook has Curry’s points prop set at 32.5 with -125 on the over. Despite the odds, I want Curry when the Warriors need to rely on his scoring. Breakfast Lean: Stephen Curry Over 32.5 points
The Breakfast Pick
The Blazers will have the crowd behind them in what feels like a must-win game. After letting the Warriors off the hook in Game 2 — the Blazers will likely turn to their two guards to close at home.
With FanDuel Sportsbook posting a 2.5-point line at the time of this writing in favor of the home team, the outright +114 odds present a bit of value for Warriors’ bettors. The Warriors already demonstrated their capacity for making a comeback — but will not benefit from a home crowd keeping them in the game.
The old Warriors scheme with ball movement being key and less iso-ball without Kevin Durant will likely keep the Warriors pedal to the metal. Yet, the Blazers have played at a 95.61 pace at home throughout these playoffs versus 97.01 on the road. The Blazers will slow this game down — making the 221 O/U a potentially big number to climb over.
With all of that said, Game 3 seems to be the most likely time for a Blazers’ victory. Portland knows just how close they were in Game 2 and should get an extra boost from the home fans. The Blazers see quite the discrepancy in net rating thus far in the NBA playoffs when playing at home versus the road. A 6.0 net rating at home — instead of the -5.7 rating on the road — should provide for the home cooking necessary to get back in the series. Breakfast Lean: Portland -2.5 points and Under the 221 O/U
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