Warriors Favored for Game 6 of the NBA Finals
The Golden State Warriors were in desperation mode Monday in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals and will be in a similar situation Thursday for Game 6 as they host the Toronto Raptors, who can clinch their first-ever title with a victory.
Golden State hopes to force a Game 7 as a 2.5-point home favorite on the NBA Finals odds in what will be the last one played at the Oracle Arena in Oakland before the team moves to San Francisco.
The Warriors gutted out a 106-105 win over the Raptors as one-point road underdogs in Game 5, rallying back from six points down in the final three minutes thanks to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who combined to make three of their 12 three-pointers in the final 2:32.
Toronto had taken a 103-97 lead after Kawhi Leonard scored 10 straight points, but an ill-advised time-out called by head coach Nick Nurse halted his team’s momentum and gave Golden State the opportunity to rest and rebound for one final run. This after the Warriors lost Kevin Durant in the second quarter to an Achilles injury.
Durant underwent surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles on Wednesday, but he is not the only injured player for Golden State at this point. Kevon Looney totaled just four points and three rebounds in Game 5 as he continues to battle through a shoulder injury that was re-aggravated. Looney makes more of an impact on the defensive end though while Durant’s offense will be missed again after he scored 11 points in 12 minutes in his first game action in more than a month.
Curry and Thompson are more than capable of picking up the slack, although they will likely need to continue their hot shooting here.
The Warriors as a team totaled 20 three-pointers on 42 attempts (47.6 percent) in Game 5 while the Raptors hit on just 8-of-32 (25 percent) from beyond the arc. Golden State has never lost all three home games played in the NBA Finals, so that is another obstacle Toronto will try to overcome in attempting to end this best-of-seven series in Game 6.
Raptors Paying Out on Road in NBA Betting
The Raptors have won their last three road games both straight up and against the spread, so they should have some confidence going into this potential clincher. In fact, they dominated Games 3 and 4 at Oracle Arena, winning each by double digits as road underdogs on the NBA betting board to put themselves into prime position to earn the championship.
Leonard has been outstanding throughout the series and averaged 33 points and 9.5 rebounds in the first two games in Oakland.
Defensively, Toronto definitely has an edge right now with more healthy bodies, and the style of play lately also gives the team an advantage. The UNDER has cashed in the past two games of the Finals on the NBA playoff betting lines, and it is 3-0 in the previous three away from home for the Raptors overall going back to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Warriors would seemingly prefer to run up and down the court, but they are just 0-3-1 ATS in their last four games that have ended up OVER the total, which is something to keep in mind as well. The difference is that Golden State has not been this small of a home favorite since November 23 of the regular season versus the Portland Trail Blazers.
The chances of a three-peat depend on the Warriors winning Game 6 at home and Game 7 on the road, and they are still listed as +215 underdogs to accomplish that feat based on the updated NBA Finals betting lines. And if you believe Toronto can win Game 6 or Game 7, you must pay a price of -260.
*Bovada Odds as of June 13, 2019
