Golden State Warriors ferociously opened the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks. They would beat the rivals by a 25-point margin, showing that the Chase Center is really their stronghold, in the best possible meaning of that word. But let us remind you that the Mavs opened each playoff series with a loss, and that they only began playing better as the matchup went by. So this is nothing new for Jason Kidd’s team. Be sure that they are going to respond in a certain way. The only question is, will they do that immediately in Game 2.
Preview
Dallas Mavericks (+220) had one of the worst shooting games in the entire postseason. The Mavs shot 36% from the field, and with such a terrible offensive output, you can’t hope for anything other than a defeat against the Warriors. Meanwhile, Dallas’ defense has been pretty weak, allowing the hosts 56.1% of shooting from the field.
Klay and Step, as well as all the Warriors, weren’t particularly good for three points, 34.5%, but near the basket and inside the paint, they pretty much killed the Mavs. One other thing that Kidd’s unit failed to prevent was the aerial inferiority. They would secure only 35 boards, while on the other side, the Warriors had 51.
Luka was properly restrained with 20 buckets, seven boards, and four assists. He was 6-for-18 from the field and besides that, had seven turnovers. Brunson scored 14 points, missing all of his five threes, while Spencer Dinwiddie posted 17 off the bench. Dorian Finney-Smith and Davis Bertans, who were supposed to be the best three-pointers in Dallas, had five points combined and 1-for-7 for three.
Golden State Warriors (-270) started the game well, but not on the offensive side as many expected, but on defense. They allowed only 18 points to the Mavs, while scoring 28, making a big difference straight away. As time went by, that gap increased due to the Warriors’ balanced scoring.
Steph Curry had 21 points with 12 boards, being the top rebounder among the Warriors. Jordan Poole entered off the bench to add 19 buckets, while Klay dropped 15 with five boards and four assists.
Andrew Wiggins might have been an x-factor with 19 points and superb contribution on the defensive side of the ball. He was all over the Mavs’ backcourt, putting pressure on them and preventing them from imposing their own tempo. Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, and Otto Porter Jr, had 10 points each.
Head to Head
Game 1 saw the Warriors demolishing the rivals 112-87, which has been arguably their best defensive display in the playoffs. Including the regular season, this was only the second win in five games over the Mavericks this year. Both were at the Chase Center.
Prediction
This was the seventh consecutive win in the playoffs at home for the Warriors. They really love playing in front of their fans, which is why we bet on their win in Game 2. For the moment, the Dub Nation looks as if it can’t be stopped in Chase Center and that is why we bet on their victory.
Pick: Golden State Warriors win
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
Email: nikola@wagerbop.com
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