The third-seeded Golden State Warriors will be heading to the FedExForum to take on the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon in the first game of the Western Conference Semifinals.
These teams played four times during the regular season, with the Grizzlies winning all but one of them. Golden State defeated the Denver Nuggets in five games during the first round, while Memphis defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games in their first-round series.
Golden State Warriors Getting Completely Healthy
There were some question marks heading into the postseason as point guard Stephen Curry was recovering from an ankle injury, but was able to play in Game 1 of the first round as he averaged 28 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 steals throughout the five-game series.
Now that they are rested and healthy, it would be a great sign for the franchise as they are 12 wins away from winning their fourth NBA Championship with this core group.
As a team, the offense has been doing incredible as they are leading the playoffs with 118 points per game while being second, shooting 51.5 percent from the floor as a whole.
Defensively, they are using their size as they averaged 6.2 blocks per game as well, so if they can be able to defend well, they should be in the driver’s seat here.
Memphis Grizzlies Need to Prove They Belong
The Memphis Grizzlies are a young team that is attempting to prove that they are the next Golden State Warriors team. Point guard Ja Morant had an incredible season as he won the Most Improved Player Award and has extended it through the first round of the postseason as he averaged 21.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 0.7 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game.
He has been getting stronger after returning from injury right before the conclusion of the regular season, so the few days off could be a great sign for him to get focused and ready for this upcoming battle with the Warriors.
The Grizzlies’ offense has been doing extremely well during the playoffs as they are second in the postseason, averaging 114.7 points per game. A huge reason is the fact that they are averaging 12.5 offensive rebounds per game, and the Warriors are not having the size as the Minnesota Timberwolves had in the first round.
They also are doing pretty well at stopping drives as they also averaged 6.2 blocks per game, which is tied with Golden State.
Warriors/Grizzlies Betting Prediction
Looking at the consensus betting line, it is looking like the Golden State Warriors are two-point road favorites. I do not buy into the regular season games as much as others since both teams could not be giving it their all with back-to-backs or just not having their full complement of stars.
Klay Thompson is going to be a huge factor in this game, and if you are going to have two teams just trying to outscore one another, the Splash Brothers should win that.
Golden State has a lot of playoff experience with guys like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green winning three NBA titles since joining the NBA and play effectively as a group. Jordan Poole also has become a solid piece to score the ball and take some pressure off.
All in all, I do not see Memphis being able to keep up, even at home, so go with the Golden State Warriors to cover a two-point spread in Memphis and pick up a decisive Game 1 victory.
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.