NBA Knowledge
Charlotte-Miami
Home side won all four series games; Walker/Lin combined for 55 points in Game 4 win- no other Hornet had more than 11. Hornets lost five of last nine games with Miami (over 6-2 in last eight). Hornets lost four of last five visits here; Heat scored 115-123 in Games 1-2 here, then 80-85 in Charlotte. Hornets won five of their last eight games (over 7-2); they lost four of their last six road games. Miami won its last five home tilts, all by 8+ points- their last three home games all went over.
Portland-LA Clippers
Clippers are without Paul/Griffin for duration of this series; Portland is 0-4 in last four games played here, with three losses by 15+, but missing Paul is huge for LA- Game 4 was Monday, so Rivers had only had a day to retool offense, with less dynamic PG Prigioni getting more minutes. Home side won all four series games; last five games in series stayed under total. Trailblazers won nine of their last 13 games overall; eight of their last ten games stayed under the total.
Houston-Golden State
Curry is out for series, but Warriors outscored Houston 41-20 in decisive third quarter Sunday, without Curry. Golden State won 12 of last 14 games (9-5 vs the spread) against Houston, covering three of last four played here (non-cover was by half-point). Last game, Iguodala scored 22 points in 24:00 to pick up slack created by Curry's injury. Not big fan of Houston's chemistry; they went in tank last game, they have interim coach- they're 1-3 vs spread in last four road games. .
Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 21-14, Over: 11-24
Armadillosports.com
Wednesday's NBA Playoffs Betting Preview
By Covers.com
The San Antonio Spurs will be sitting comfortably at home watching as their damaged Western Conference rivals go to work in the trenches for Game 5. No Steph Curry, no Chris Paul and no Blake Griffin - it's going to be interesting to see how the Warriors and Clippers react on the court.
Charlotte Hornets at Miami Heat (-6, 193)
The Heat have been two different teams in the playoffs depending on the venue and will hope for a return to form on offense when the series shifts back to Miami for Game 5 on Wednesday. The sixth-seeded Charlotte Hornets took Games 3 and 4 at home to even the series and hope the defensive improvements the team made can carry over to Game 5.
The Heat set a franchise postseason scoring record with 123 points in Game 1 and put up 72 in the first half of a 115-103 Game 2 win before failing to crack 90 points in either of the two road games. “The biggest thing I’d change is nothing,” Miami center Hassan Whiteside, who was careful not to directly criticize the referees, told reporters. “We just missed some shots. They’ve got to come to South Beach, and we’ve been playing well all year at home.” The Hornets attacked the Heat defense through the paint with guards Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin in the 89-85 Game 4 win, and the two combined for 55 points. Walker scored 11 straight Charlotte points in the last six minutes of the fourth quarter to help his team pull away.
LINE HISTORY: The Heat opened as 5.5-point favorites for this pivotal Game 5 matchup against the Hornets and the line has moved up slightly to -6. The total opened at 193 and also has not moved. Check out the complete line history here.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (50-36, 44-41-1 ATS, 42-42-2 O/U): Walker slumped to 17 points on 4-of-19 shooting in Game 3 but found his groove again in Game 4, especially late. “Time and time again in these situations, my team, coaching staff, everybody tells me it’s time to win.” Walker told reporters. “Coach put me in position to make plays. I just want to be as aggressive as possible. I was able to get my shot off, and I just wanted to be confident.” Lin added the highlight of the game when he banked in a 3-pointer and shrugged on the way down the court.
ABOUT THE HEAT (50-36, 45-40-1 ATS, 36-49-1 O/U): Miami was whistled for 26 personal fouls in Game 4, with starting guards Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic combining for nine. “We’ve had some key guys in foul trouble,” Heat guard Joe Johnson, who did not commit a foul, told reporters. “For the most part, we were just trying to hold the fort until we can get those guys back out there. But it’s tough. We just kept fouling and kept putting them on the line. We have to make the game easier. The game has been so tough for us, especially in Charlotte. We have to make an adjustment.” Wade averaged 22 points on 19-of-38 in the first two games at home before slumping to 14.5 on 11-of-31 in Charlotte.
TRENDS:
* Hornets are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Heat are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
* Over is 5-0 in Hornets last 5 road games.
* Home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Clippers (+3, 197.5)
The Los Angeles Clippers looked like things were finally breaking their way on the injury front, and then Chris Paul reached in for a steal. The fourth-seeded Clippers will be without their All-Star point guard and All-Star forward Blake Griffin when they host the fifth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
The MCL sprain suffered by Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry on Sunday seemed to make the path to the Western Conference finals much easier for Los Angeles, but the path out of the first round got much tougher the next night. Paul reached in for a steal in the lane in the third quarter on Monday and suffered a broken third metacarpal on his right hand which required surgery on Tuesday that will keep him out for the rest of the playoff. Griffin, who missed over three months in the regular season with his own broken hand and a quad injury, re-aggravated the quad in Monday’s Game 4 loss and will also sit out the rest of the way. The Trail Blazers took advantage of Paul’s absence in Game 4 and outscored the Clippers 32-20 in the fourth quarter, marking the second straight game they pulled away late.
LINE HISTORY: The Clippers opened as two-point favorites and the Blake Griffin injury news flipped the line on Tuesday afternoon. Overnight on Tuesday the line continued The total hit the board at 198.5 and came down a full point to 197.5 with no Griffin. Check out the complete line history here.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (46-40, 46-40 ATS, 44-42 O/U): Damian Lillard struggled from the floor in three of the four games in the series, including a 4-of-15 effort in Game 4, but Portland is picking up its star with big efforts from players like Al-Farouq Aminu and Mason Plumlee. Aminu scored a career-high 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, three blocks and three assists in Monday’s triumph after going 11-of-37 in the first three games. “It was just a matter of time,” Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts told reporters. “Obviously (Aminu) struggled shooting the ball the first three games, but that didn’t take away from what he was giving us defensively. It was good to see him break out. Everybody has been encouraging him and he’s put in the time and, like I said, it was just a matter of time before he had a game like that.”
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (55-31, 42-41-3 ATS, 34-52 O/U): Los Angeles is focusing on the near future and trying to figure out a way to win two more games in this series. "We don't have to be the best team,” coach Doc Rivers told reporters. “We just have to be the best team (Wednesday). And then we have to figure out how to do it one more time." Paul averaged 26.3 points in the first three games of the series and had 16 before going down in Game 4 while Griffin, who aggravated the quad sometime in the second half on Monday and tried to play through the injury until the middle of the fourth quarter, averaged 15 points and 8.8 rebounds.
TRENDS:
* Trail Blazers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Clippers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games.
* Under is 5-0 in Trail Blazers last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Under is 6-1 in Clippers last 7 games following a ATS loss.
* Under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings in Los Angeles.
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors (-9.5, 211.5)
The news wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but the Golden State Warriors will still be without MVP Stephen Curry when they attempt to close out the Houston Rockets at home in Game 5 on Wednesday. Curry left Sunday’s Game 4 after slipping on the floor at the end of the half and was diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his right knee.
Curry will sit for two weeks before being reevaluated, putting his availability for the next round in jeopardy should the Warriors, as expected, close out the eighth-seeded Rockets. The star guard was defending on the final play of the first half on Sunday when he slipped on a wet spot and had his right knee bend awkwardly on his way to the ground. "We said two weeks, but that's no guarantee that it will be in two weeks, might be after two weeks, might be before," Golden State general manager Bob Myers told reporters after an MRI exam on Monday. "But I think it will be somewhere in that range, hopefully." Houston had a chance to even the series with Curry limping around the locker room on Sunday at home and instead were outscored 65-38 in the second half of a 121-94 loss.
LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as 9.5-point favorites and, although the line wobbled a bit down to -9, it currently sits at the same number that it hit began. The total opened at 214 and dropped consistantly down to 211.5. Check out the complete line history here.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (42-44, 38-48 ATS, 48-38 O/U): The difference in effort between the teams was noticeable in the second half on Sunday, and Houston interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff was not afraid to call out his players after the game. “When the moment calls for us to raise our intensity levels, we dropped our guard,” Bickerstaff told reporters. “You could see the difference in the way that (the Warriors) played in that third quarter and how they scrapped and how they got every loose ball. You could see the intent in their guys’ eyes.” The Rockets allowed 41 points in the third quarter and now need a miraculous comeback for the second straight postseason – they overcame a 3-1 deficit to the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round last spring before falling to Golden State in the conference finals.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (76-10, 48-36-2 ATS, 46-39-1 O/U): Golden State is already 1-1 in the series while playing without Curry, who sat out Games 2 and 3 with a sprained right ankle. The Warriors tend to lean on Curry’s epic scoring binges when the offense stalls, but All-Stars Draymond Green and Klay Thompson both stepped up in the second half on Sunday and are ready to carry more of the load. “It was the way we were moving the ball and trusting each other on both sides of the ball,” Thompson told reporters of the 41-point third quarter. “That’s what we’ve got to do to beat this team. We knew, as soon as Steph went down, we were going to have to do it by ourselves.”
TRENDS:
* Rockets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Warriors are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games.
* Over is 8-1 in Rockets last 9 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
* Over is 5-1 in Warriors last 6 home games.
* Rockets are 2-6 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
Wednesday's NBA Essentials
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com
Charlotte at Miami (-6/193)
The Heat dominated the first two games in this series, setting a franchise-record by scoring 123 points in Game 1, then following it up with a 115-103 rout to go up 2-0. Center Hassan Whiteside made 17 of 19 shots as Miami shot over 57 percent in both victories. Then the series shifted to Charlotte, where everything changed.
Despite missing its best two-way player, Nicolas Batum, to a foot sprain that may cost him the rest of the series, the Hornets gained their footing with a 96-80 Game 3 win where they locked in defensively and got a combined 33 points from sixth man Jeremy Lin and rookie Frank Kaminsky, who took Batum’s place in the lineup, offering a different look and shocking Miami with his assertiveness and versatility.
Game 4 was there for both teams. They each had terrific runs in what ended up being a one-possession game for the final 1:57, but rookie Josh Richardson missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer and Charlotte wound up with a pair of key last-minute offensive rebounds to help kill clock, holding off the Heat and evening the series. All-Star Kemba Walker scored a series-high 34 points, while Lin continued his exceptional play at home, adding 21. Miami defenders struggled to stay in front of the Hornets point guards, which makes for a major point of contention in this swing game.
In part, Whiteside dealing with a bruised thigh has had an impact, since he didn’t look like himself playing back in his home state, taking just 11 shots and averaging just 10.5 points after dominating in South Florida at a 19-points-per-game clip. Dwyane Wade shot the ball poorly in Charlotte, winding up 11-for-31 despite continuing to rebounds well. Wade has been a playmaker for Miami, averaging 6.5 assists and making sure everyone gets involved. One key x-factor in the series has been the Hornets strategy of leaving rookie Justise Winslow open for 3-point looks, taking their chances that he won’t be able to take advantage. Winslow went for 1-for-9 from beyond the arc at Time Warner Cable Arena after taking just two 3-pointers in Miami over the first two games. He’ll either have to start making his shots from here on out, or simply stop taking them. More than any other, that tweak from Steve Clifford has helped slow Miami, who averaged 82.5 points on the road after averaging 119 in going up 2-0.
Despite two straight ‘under’ winners in this series, VI NBA Expert Chris David expects a turnaround in South Florida. He explained, “I understand why the total continues to drop in this series but it’s hard for me to ignore the ‘over’ trends in the playoffs for Miami. The Heat scored at will in the first two games, which produced easy ‘over’ tickets. Including those winners, the ‘over’ has gone 10-2 in the last 12 playoff games at American Airlines Arena. Plus, the last 10 encounters in South Florida between the Heat and Hornets have all gone ‘over’ the number. I’m buying the high side on Wednesday.”
Including their regular-season meetings, the Heat and Hornets have split their eight contests. Each team has won on the other's home floor only once.
Portland (-3/196.5) at L.A. Clippers
Everything we’ve seen in this series can now be flushed away and deemed irrelevant. The Clippers dominated both games at Staples Center to seemingly grab a stranglehold on the series that was expected to be the most competitive of the Western Conference’s first-round offerings, winning by a combined margin of 41 points. The Blazers won Game 3 96-88 behind Damian Lillard’s 32 points, pulling away in the final 2:36 after L.A. led 85-84. C.J. McCollum added 27 points, celebrating the night where he received his NBA Most Improved Player award in style. It was a nice night for a young team in front of their home fans, but most expected the Clippers would prevail in Game 4 to take control of the series and expedite the inevitable. Oddsmakers made L.A. a 3.5-road favorite. What happened next is so painful that long-suffering Clips fans are advised to avert their eyes for the rest of this preview.
By now, everyone knows what happened. Chris Paul broke his hand in the third quarter. Blake Griffin aggravated a quad injury in the fourth. Fearing the likelihood that Paul would be lost to the team the rest of the way, the Clips wilted without their leader, unable to overcome a hostile road atmosphere and a young team greedily pouncing on the opportunity in front of them. Paul had surgery on Tuesday and will miss 4-to-6 weeks, while Griffin has been ruled out the rest of the way. Now, it’s on the rest of the team to pick up the pieces. Everyone has already written them off regardless of whether they go out in this round or next. Oddsmakers have made the Trail Blazers a road favorite at Staples Center despite losing the first two games by 20 or more. This will be the first time in nine meetings this season where Portland is favored over the Clips.
Top sixth man Jamal Crawford is likely to stay in his role off the bench, but should play more minutes in helping Austin Rivers run the offense for the Clippers with Paul out. Veteran Pablo Prigioni will probably get a little more run, but he’s played just seven minutes over the first four games and hasn’t even taken a shot. Paul averaged 26.3 points and 8.3 assists over the first three games of the series and was having a solid Game 4 before swiping down trying to steal the ball on a Gerald Henderson drive. His production and leadership appear irreplaceable. The Clippers went 3-5 in the eight regular-season games Paul missed, so while playing without Griffin is something they certainly grew accustomed to, operating without their point guard is not something they’ve done well. Wesley Johnson, Luc Mbah a Moute, Jeff Green and Paul Pierce will help centers DeAndre Jordan and Cole Aldrich up front, while Rivers, Crawford and J.J. Redick will get the bulk of the backcourt responsibilities. It doesn’t help that Redick has been playing through a bruised heel.
Beyond their incredibly good fortune at the expense of a seemingly cursed opponent, the Trail Blazers have pulled their own weight thanks to a frontcourt that has really flourished and even picked up their highly-esteemed backcourt. Center Mason Plumlee has more than held his own with Jordan and has been utilized as a playmaker by Coach of the Year runner-up Terry Stotts, dishing out 26 assists over the last three games. After four points, five boards and no dimes in Game 1, Plumlee has become an invaluable x-factor, averaging 8.3 points, 15 rebounds and 8.7 assists over the last three contests. Al-Farouq Aminu comes off a ridiculous 30-point, 10-rebound game in which he tied a career-high with six 3-pointers made. He'd never scored 30 in the pros in a regular-season game, much less the playoffs. Mo Harkless and Ed Davis have been dependable off the bench up front, while shooter Allen Crabbe has been a weapon. Can their lack of experience in big games be overcome on the road as easily as it was at the Moda Center? That's a huge x-factor for the Blazers.
VI's David weighs in on the injury to Paul and the chances that the Clippers now have without the All-Star in the lineup, commenting that "replacing him won’t be an easy task, which was evident during the regular season. With Griffin out too that certainly spells even more trouble for Los Angeles but I wouldn’t run to the counter and back Portland, who has dropped nine straight playoff games on the road and is just 5-25 as a visitor in the postseason. Interestingly, the 'over' prevailed in seven of eight games the Clippers played without Paul."
Houston at Golden State (-9/211.5)
Stephen Curry's absence would normally be the biggest story in these playoffs, but the Clippers mishaps have overshadowed what will hopefully be a two-week hiatus for the league's top player. Even though the Warriors still have to get out of the first round with one more victory over the Rockets, there's no real drama in wondering whether they can considering he didn’t play at all in a second half they won 65-38 in Houston in Game 4.
Counting their two home wins to open this series, the Warriors are 41-2 at Oracle Arena this season, while the Rockets come in 18-25 in opposing venues. This will be their fourth game in Oakland, losing 123-110 in the regular season and by scores of 104-78 and 115-106 in this series.
James Harden scored 35 points, grabbed eight boards, dished out nine assists and actually played defense in a 97-96 Game 3 win, so he has to be at his best for the Rockets to even have a chance to beat the Warriors whether Curry is involved or not. He's shot 18-for-51 (36 pct) in the three losses and figures to see more of Andre Iguodala with Curry out of the mix here. Dwight Howard has actually been solid in the series, averaging 14.5 points and 12.3 rebounds, but he'll likely need more touches to significantly impact this one and teands to struggle to get position against Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli.
Besides Iguodala likely getting more minutes, Shaun Livingston will help the Warriors offer a different, longer look on defense to help offset the detriment of not having Curry around to strengthen the offense. Livingston is a terrific playmaker who you can post up and control pace through, so in the short-term, the Warriors shouldn't be troubled much. Shooter Ian Clark will also play an increased role.
While the Paul injury is expected to take a serious toll on the Clippers, David agrees with most pundits that the Warriors will get past the Rockets even without Curry.
“Even though the Curry is the league’s MVP, he’s only been on the floor for 39 minutes in this series, which would be over already if it wasn’t for a Harden jumper in Game 3. This matchup is still very much lopsided even without Curry and taking the Rockets on Wednesday isn’t a sound investment. Including the results in this series, Houston has gone 2-8 in its last 10 playoff games on the road and more importantly its 3-7 versus the number with six of the eight losses coming by nine or more points.”
Wednesday's Top Action
By Sportsbook.ag
CHARLOTTE HORNETS (50-36) at MIAMI HEAT (50-36)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Miami -6.0, Total: 193.0
The Heat will be looking to get back on track with a home win in Game 5 over the Hornets on Wednesday.
The Heat looked like they were going to run away with this series heading into Game 3, but the Hornets were able to win-and-cover in each of their home games. Charlotte held Miami to less than 40% shooting from the field and the Heat have also coughed up the ball 15.5 times per game over the past two contests. The Hornets need to keep being aggressive defensively, as they are not going to win any high-scoring games with this Miami team.
One thing that does favor the Heat coming into this one is that they are 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS when hosting the Hornets over the past three seasons. All 10 of those games also happened to have gone OVER the total. As for trends in this game, things aren’t necessarily leaning in the Hornets’ favor. Charlotte is just 0-9 ATS off two consecutive wins against division rivals since 1996. The Hornets are also facing a Heat team that is 9-1 ATS in home games after a loss by six points or less over the past two seasons.
SF Nicolas Batum (Ankle) is listed as questionable for Charlotte, which is already without SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Shoulder) for the rest of the season. Miami, meanwhile, remains without PF Chris Bosh (Blood Clot) and SG Tyler Johnson (Shoulder) indefinitely.
The Hornets have shown a lot of heart in this series, as they could have rolled over and accepted defeat after double-digit losses in Games 1 and 2. Now this series is tied and Charlotte feels it has a great chance to advance to the next round. PG Kemba Walker (24.8 PPG, 1.3 SPG in playoffs) really stepped it up for the Hornets in Game 4, finishing with 34 points on 13-for-28 shooting from the field. Walker is shooting just 39.3% from the field in the postseason, but his team needs him to continue to be aggressive. He is far too quick for any of Miami’s guards to handle and he must use that speed to get to the rim. He’ll also need to continue to do a solid job defensively.
PG Jeremy Lin (14.8 PPG in playoffs) also played well in Game 4, finishing the contest with 21 points, three assists and two steals in 34 minutes of action. Lin is averaging 19.5 PPG in Charlotte’s two victories in this series and just 10.0 PPG in the team’s two defeats. It’s clear that the Hornets need him to be aggressive moving forward. He is relentless when attacking the rim and puts a ton of pressure on his opponents.
It’d also be big for the Hornets if SF Nicolas Batum (16.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.0 SPG) made a return in Game 5. Charlotte may have won both games that he sat out, but he is very important to this team. Batum gives this team yet another guy that can handle the ball and make shots from the perimeter. He also has good length and can help defend guys like Wade the rest of the way.
The Heat have really struggled since winning the first two games in this series and they desperately need SG Dwyane Wade (18.3 PPG, 6.5 APG, 5.3 RPG, 1.0 BPG in playoffs) to show up in Game 5. Wade is averaging just 14.5 PPG over the past two contests and he needs to score a lot more than that moving forward. He is this team’s best player offensively and needs to be aggressive on Wednesday. If he can attack the basket early on then he might get himself to the line for some easy points. Wade needs some of those, as he could use a boost in confidence.
PG Goran Dragic (12.5 PPG, 5.3 APG in playoffs) must also play better in this series. Kemba Walker has exploited him early on and Dragic needs to start holding his own moving forward. The Heat acquired him because they felt that he could play with any point guard in the league and he’ll need to prove that he can on this stage. Two guys that have been showing up for Miami are PF Luol Deng (20.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG in playoffs) and C Hassan Whiteside (14.8 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 3.0 BPG in playoffs).
Deng has been stretching the floor with his ability to hit the outside shot and Whiteside has been a menace around the basket. They’ll need to continue to play well in this series if Miami is going to win.
HOUSTON ROCKETS (42-44) at GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (76-10)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Golden State -9.5, Total: 212.5
The Warriors will be looking to advance to the second round of the playoffs when they host the Rockets in Game 5 on Wednesday.
The Rockets had a golden opportunity to steal this series from the Warriors, but they did not rise to the occasion in Game 4. PG Stephen Curry (30.1 PPG, 6.7 APG, 5.4 RPG, 2.1 SPG in regular season) went down in the middle of the third quarter in that one, but the Warriors were still able to win that game 121-94 as 8.5-point road favorites. Houston will now need to win every game for the rest of the series in order to advance.
That will be tough for the Rockets, as the Warriors are 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS when hosting Houston over the past three seasons. Golden State is also an impressive 25-10 ATS after a blowout win by 20 points or more over the past two seasons and is facing a Rockets team that is 4-12 ATS after scoring 55 points or more in the first half of two straight games this season.
PG Patrick Beverley (Hamstring) is probable for Houston in this game and Golden State is likely to be without Curry for the next two weeks.
The Rockets really blew their chance to take control of this series in Game 4. They could have been tied 2-2 and would have needed to win two of their next three games against a Curry-less Warriors team. Now they’ll need to win the rest of the games in this series and that will not be easy.
If Houston is going to find a way to win at Oracle Arena on Wednesday then SG James Harden (24.5 PPG, 8.0 APG, 5.0 RPG, 2.5 SPG in playoffs) will need to be incredible on both ends of the floor. Harden had just 18 points in the Game 4 loss to the Warriors and he had 35 points in the Game 3 victory over the team. It’s clear that he needs to be aggressive offensively, but he’ll also need to play well on the defensive end. He can’t afford to let Klay Thompson go off in this one or Houston will likely be eliminated before a potential Game 6 matchup.
C Dwight Howard (14.5 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG in playoffs) must also play well in this game. He has come alive recently, averaging 16.0 PPG and 14.0 RPG over the past two contests. Howard was 13-for-18 from the floor in those games and will need to continue to get some easy buckets around the basket moving forward.
The Warriors are one win away from advancing to the next round, but they’ll need to do it without Curry and that won’t be easy. If Golden State is going to put this series away then SG Klay Thompson (22.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.5 SPG in playoffs) is going to need to step it up. He was excellent in Curry’s absence in Game 2, exploding for 34 points in 37 minutes of action. The Warriors will need a similar performance on Wednesday.
PF Draymond Green (12.8 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.3 BPG in playoffs) will also need to be on his game in this one. He had 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor in Game 4 and really sparked this team in the third quarter. It’d be huge for the Warriors if he can get hot again on Wednesday.
The x-factor for Golden State will be PG Shaun Livingston (12.5 PPG, 5.3 APG, 1.5 SPG in playoffs). Livingston is going to get a majority of the minutes at point guard for this team and he has been excellent in the postseason. His size is absurd at the point guard position, so he’ll need to continue to back down his opponents. Livingston is automatic from midrange and should be able to set his teammates up plenty in this one.
Steve's Screenshot
By Steve Merril
Blazers (-2.5, 195.5) at Clippers
Portland got back into this series with two wins on their home court. On top of that, the Trail Blazers are the beneficiaries of Los Angeles’ misfortune. The Clippers will be without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin after both got hurt in Game 4. However, Portland is a much better home team, and we often see teams step-up when their star players get hurt, especially in the first game without them.
Rockets at Warriors (-9, 212.5)
This series is over. Golden State returns home up 3-1 with their wins coming by 26 (104-78), 9 points (115-106), and 27 points (121-94). The Warriors have played without Stephen Curry in the majority of their games against Houston this season, and they will win once again tonight. However, I have no interest in laying 9 points when the Warriors are missing their best player.