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.
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.
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.
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.
