The Toronto Raptors will be looking to build on a decisive 118-109 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of this year’s NBA Finals when they return to action for Game 2 on Sunday as 2-point favourites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Pegged as a lengthy +2000 wager to claim NBA Finals MVP honours entering the series, Pascal Siakam turned in his strongest performance of the postseason with 32 points and eight rebounds in Game 1, extending Toronto’s straight-up win streak to five games going into Sunday night’s matchup at Scotiabank Arena.
The Raptors have regularly rewarded bettors during the surge that has lifted them into their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history, covering in each of the five wins on their current tear. The team has also been red-hot on home court, notching six straight SU wins to improve to 12-2 SU in 14 outings since March 24 while going 10-4 against the spread, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
And after posting wins in a pair of regular-season meetings, Toronto has now topped the Warriors in three straight contests, ending an eight-game SU losing streak and establishing their longest win streak against the NBA’s defending champions since 2001.
[relatedlinks]
The Raptors’ win in Game 1 as 1.5-point chalk moved the needle slightly on their odds to win the NBA championship, with Toronto now listed as a +130 underdog the win the best-of-seven NBA Finals after opening the series as a +230 bet.
The Warriors return to action in Game 2 looking to avoid falling behind 2-0 in a playoff series for the first time since 2007. Golden State had been a reliable bet in series openers in recent years, going 19-1 SU in 20 Game 1 contests prior to Thursday’s defeat.
The team is also 3-2 SU in its past five Game 2 appearances, and has turned in mixed results overall on the road this spring, going 6-3 SU in nine outings but covering in just four of those games including a 2-2 ATS record when pegged as a betting underdog.
The health of superstar Kevin Durant also remains a concern for the Warriors. Hobbled by a calf injury since the Warriors’ second-round clash with the Houston Rockets, the two-time defending NBA Finals MVP is expected to remain sidelined for Game 2.
Durant’s absence has failed to dent the Warriors’ position on the NBA championship odds at sports betting sites, where they remain set as a -150 wager to become the first team to win three straight titles since the 2003 Los Angeles Lakers.
