The online Vegas betting sites from the NBA are now seeing a few possible patterns for Friday night. In this article, we have our early NBA Friday Best Bets for Game 2 of the Western Conference Final. Can Golden State hold serve once again versus the Dallas Mavericks?
The third-seeded Golden State Warriors are a solid favorite over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2. Yes, the game is set again in California at Chase Center. The Warriors have been dominant at home during the Stephen Curry era. More importantly, they came out in Game 1 and showed who was the boss. Golden State dominated from the start and never truly looked back. The 112-87 outcome was never in doubt.
A closer look showed that when Golden State clamps down on defense, few teams can succeed against them. They were able to just outlast Dallas’ offensive options early. The result was a 28-18 lead after a quarter in Game 1 that felt more like a 20-point bulge. Dallas never looked to be in the game at all. This was Golden State’s game to win or lose. The biggest key was Andrew Wiggins and how he defended Luka Doncic.
Andrew Wiggins held Luka Doncic to a 6-18 shooting and a game worst -30 🔒 pic.twitter.com/m8lERCYFUa
— Warriors Nation (@WarriorNationCP) May 19, 2022
So, Golden State did help by rotating players over but for the most part, Wiggins did the heavy lifting. He even contributed offensively as Wiggins hit three three-pointers in the Game 1 win. Can the Warriors’ defender do it again in Game 2? If Game 1 is any indication, bettors should not entirely just dust the opener off as a fluke by any means.
Now, NBA Friday Night Best Bets focuses on the following question. Does Golden State win again at home to go up two games to none?
It is not a surprise that the Golden State Moneyline has less value on Friday night. One never truly knows how the Warriors will play at times. All anyone knows is that few teams can turn it up like Golden State. Again, they can start slow and fade fast. However, they can also just blow a team right out of the building. Sometimes, Golden State is truly its own worst enemy.
Now, the key for Golden Sate is to maintain that defensive intensity with consistent pace and offence. Again, the Warriors do not have to score 120 points to win games. That 34-point third quarter was their game-high but was just a clinic as the Warriors turned in a mercurial clinic on defense in the second half. It was downright scary for Dallas. The Mavericks managed a mere 42 points in the second half — including 18 in the fourth quarter.
"BOX & 1 Winning Defense" ▶️ Nick Nurse and @Raptors limited Steph Curry and @warriors in 2019, now in 2022 Steve Kerr and @warriors try to limit LD77 and #Mavs https://t.co/tXj8w9bves
— Luka Bassin (@LukaBassin) May 19, 2022
This series could easily see Golden State win tonight. Dallas and Jason Kidd will have a tougher time getting opportunities for Doncic and his surrounding cast in Golden State. After all, Steve Kerr implements his “Box + 1” in different formations at home. That defense allows for more transitional offence for the Warriors when compared to other teams that employ the method.
Golden State holds the cards in this series. If Dallas does try to get back into this, they are going to have to hit the wide-open chances the Mavericks missed in Game 1. Dallas shot 36% while Golden State shot 56%. Expect those two percentages to converge some on Friday. However, the song likely remains the same from a win and loss standpoint as the Golden State moneyline remains one of the NBA Friday Playoffs Best Bets.
The NBA Friday Playoff Best Bets for this Western Conference Final could still be a long series but some adjustments need to be made by the Dallas Mavericks. For one, Luka Doncic cannot disappear in a half at all. He had just two points in the second half in Game 1. Even with a solid first half, Golden State was still beating the spread at halftime (up by nine).
Again, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, and company can make life miserable even for one of the best players in the NBA. Golden State possesses the ability to make a team look silly. Even when the Warriors are not clicking on all cylinders, they were able to attack Dallas’ interior defense. It is how they made 46-of-82 shots in the opener.
Dallas may not have been just suffering from a long-series hangover against Phoenix. There’s no question. Dallas has been there before in this postseason and can bounce back. However, even with the Suns, the Mavericks could not quite adjust as the Suns adapted better late in Game 2. The same thing may happen tonight with Golden State. Arguably, the Warriors have more weapons, especially defensively, which can disrupt the Mavericks’ rhythm.
“We take pride in our defense. Everybody sort of leans on Draymond. Draymond sets the tone for us. We had a good defensive night. But we can’t let our guard down.” – Steve Kerr pic.twitter.com/QDZ1gZzj5M
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 19, 2022
For this NBA Friday Playoff best bet, our pick is to choose the Golden State Warriors and the modest 6.5-point spread. After all, that offers some decent value at just -110. Plus, even with a better effort by Luka Doncic, Doncic and that front court can be attacked early and often by Golden State.
MyBookie expected the Golden State-Dallas series to be favoring the Warriors early. Despite this, the over/under here is still 214 points. That is a bit high. The pace could exceed 214, but the losing number could be a nice aid.
Fortunately, Dallas lives and often dies by the three-pointer. Once more, our pick is the Under at 214 points as another Friday night best bet.
See some quality online Vegas betting sites where you can wager more coins Friday night.
Summary
Chris Wassel AA, AAS CURRENTLY Sports Writer and Journalist RESIDES IN Rahway, NJ EDUCATION Union County College, Montclair State University EXPERTISE Business, Writing, Sports, Food, Grilling, Olympics, Injuries, Politics, and more Summary Member of FSWA, FSGA, and a variety of Sports Betting Groups. Lead arranger of news and injury reports for Rotoballer Hockey. Also did the news lead for NASCAR on the same site coming out of COVID. Strategy and mapping out of various sports betting and sports articles for MyNHLTradeRumors and gambling.com. Runs a hockey and fantasy hockey podcast that teaches fantasy hockey players how to improve their skills. Experience Chris Wassel has 20+ years of sports journalistic experience in various disciplines.. His ability to play sports is well documented. Most people in the business just write. However, Chris will race cars and even a super Moto bike from time to time. There is that fitness and hiking/cycling aspect too. Chris has climbed mountains from Mount Washington to Mount San Jacinto in Palm Springs, California. For those that do not know. Chris also dabbles in food eating contests and challenges. Having a unique background with friends including Joey Chestnut and Casey Webb, Chris has the ability to eat a whole 16-pound turkey or a 32 inch meat lover's pizza. Since 2013, Chris has primarily focused on sports writing and fitness. On social media, he will answer any question in many different aspects. Even Chris's ability to wager on Entertainment and US Elections is well documented. He was able to predict Joe Biden's inevitable dip in approval rating below 40%. Throughout his career, Chris has worked at a lot of places from DraftKings to USA Today and much more. Finally, Chris has been nominated for quite a few awards from the Fantasy Sports Writers Association for Hockey Writer Of The Year. Also, there have been a number of amazing fantasy hockey championships from expert to high-stake leagues. Education Chris received an Associates from Union Country College for business and accounting. Chris did sports journalism work at Montclair State University covering the hockey, baseball, and football teams. Quote from Chris Wassel "Do Not Think, Just Do.”
Education
1999 Graduate of Union County College
1993 Graduate of Rahway High School
Professional Achievements
Media credentialed member of the New Jersey Devils since 2010
Covered several NHL Drafts including the one day event in Newark in 2013
Been on countless podcasts, TV shows, and more including Sportsnet and even NHL Network