The Toronto Raptors will be looking to rebound from a 109-104 loss in Game 2 of the NBA Finals when they battle the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in Game 3 of the series as 5.5-point underdogs on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto led by as much as 11 points late in the first half of Game 2 but faltered badly after the break on their way to their first straight-up and against-the-spread loss in six outings ahead of Wednesday night’s Raptors vs. Warriors betting matchup at Oracle Arena.
In addition to ending a 5-0 SU run, Sunday’s loss as 2.5-point home chalk also strips Toronto of home-court advantage, saddling the Raptors with the enormous task of earning at least one road win if they are to claim the first NBA championship in the franchise’s 24-year history.
The Raptors posted a decisive 113-93 victory at Oracle Arena as eight-point underdogs in early December, but have otherwise enjoyed no success on the road against Golden State, going winless SU in their 13 previous visits dating back to February 2004.
And while Toronto finished the regular season with the NBA’s third-best SU record on the road, the team has struggled away from Scotiabank Arena during the playoffs, compiling a middling 2-4 SU and ATS mark over their past six outings, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
Not surprisingly, the Raptors have taken a dip on the odds to win the NBA championship at sports betting sites following their loss in Game 2, and now sport longer odds than those at which they entered the NBA Finals, pegged as +220 underdogs.
Conversely, the Warriors will be aiming to build on the momentum gained from their win on Sunday as they vie for a sixth straight SU victory on home hardwood on Wednesday night. Golden State has impressed at home since overcoming a pair of losses to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, limiting opponents to just 102.6 points per game during a 5-0 SU home surge.
However, that has not translated into steady success at the sportsbooks, with the Warriors covering in just two of their past seven home dates. Golden State is also a middling 4-7 ATS in its past 11 while pegged as home favourites of six or fewer points, but have regularly run up the score during a five-game SU home streak in the NBA Finals, averaging 124 points per game.
The two-time defending NBA champions have been rewarded for both their past success in the Finals and their resilience in this series, and now sit as -270 favourites to successfully defend their title. Golden State, though, will continue to be without Kevin Durant (calf) on Wednesday night, while Klay Thompson (hamstring) remains questionable for the contest.
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