Washington, Houston and Golden State all claimed expected game one home wins in their respective series and will all be back in action this Thursday, the 20th of April. We take a look at all three games and give our betting tips below.
Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards (9am AEST)
The Wizards were too strong for the Hawks in game one Monday as all-star point guard John Wall exploded for 32 points and 14 assists. Bradley Beal chipped in with a handy 22 points as the Wizards held their home court advantage. They’ll play another game in Washington before the series moves to Atlanta for games three and four.
A seven-point margin on Monday without Hawks star Paul Millsap at his best makes me think that this game should be even closer. The Hawks are a veteran outfit who had wins over quality teams in the Celtics and Cavaliers late in the season. After a look at the Wizards and another two days’ rest under their belt, we expect them to bounce back and at least make this a close game.
TIP: Atlanta +5.5 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets (10am AEST)
The Rockets made OKC look like a 2nd rate outfit on Monday as they decimated them to the tune of 31 points. James Harden showed why he thinks he deserves the MVP award with a monstrous 37-9-7 performance while counterpart Russel Westbrook had a stinker with 9 turnovers in the game.
The Thunder just can’t match the Rockets when the 2nd units come in, the likes of Eric Gordon and Lou Williams are too much offensively for the Thunder to handle and if the Houston three-point shot is falling they are near impossible to stop. It will take a classic Westbrook performance for the Thunder to have any chance here, and given the great defence that Patrick Beverley played on him in game one we like another Rockets win here.
TIP: Houston Rockets -7.5 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Portland Trailblazers at Golden State Warriors (12.30pm AEST)
It’s damming for the Blazers that CJ McCollum scored 41 points and Damian Lillard 34 and they still lost their game one matchup with the Warriors in Oakland on Monday. Many thought that the Blazers would be able to steal a game off the Warriors if their star guard duo went off. That didn’t eventuate.
Hard to see them pinching a game with the Warriors playing the brand of basketball they’re playing at the moment. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant both went for 29 and 32 points respectively while Draymond Green was at his adaptable best. Warriors should be far too strong again at home here.
TIP: Golden State -13.5 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
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