NBA playoffs: Warriors double-digit favourites over Houston

Golden State Warriors will look to further strengthen their odds as NBA championship favourites when they meet Houston Rockets on Thursday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference final, favoured by 10.5 points in NBA betting at Coral.

Drawing first blood in the series with a 110-106 win in Game 1 on Tuesday night, Warriors failed to cover as 10.5-point favourites. The ATS loss dropped Golden State to just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 when favoured by 10 or more points.

However, the victory bolstered the Warriors’ already strong position atop the NBA championship betting odds at Coral, where they are now pegged as heavy 4/9 favourites.

Golden State have also improved to a massively odds-on 1/20 to win their Conference Final series and advance to the championship game for the first time since 1976, and are a 5/2 bet to sweep Houston in four games.

The Rockets had entered Game 1 on a high after staging an improbable comeback in the Eastern Conference semi-final. Houston fell behind in their series with LA Clippers after being routed in three of the first four games, but turned the tables with three lopsided wins to shock their heavily favoured foes and advance.

But there was no comeback in Game 1 against Golden State, and the Rockets now find themselves with their backs to the wall entering Game 2 against a Warriors squad that has defeated them in their last six meetings.

Houston hit the court at Oracle Arena on Thursday night pegged as 10/1 long shots to win the series betting and a distant 20/1 to take the NBA title.

The Cavs will be gunning for their sixth SU road win of the post-season when they take on the Hawks in Atlanta on Friday night as slim one-point favourites.

Cleveland grabbed a 1-0 series lead on Wednesday with a 97-89 win, as two-point underdogs, to move to 5-1 SU on the road during the playoffs, and ending a five-game SU losing streak at Philips Arena.

While the win has had little impact on the Cavaliers’ NBA championship odds, which remain at 9/4, trailing only Golden State, it has devastated the Hawks’ already long odds, which have now increased to 20/1.

Wednesday’s defeat marked the second Game 1 home loss for Atlanta in as many series, after dropping a 104-98 decision to Washington Wizards in the opener of their Eastern Conference semi-final.

Atlanta also must rebound from the loss of DeMarre Carroll, who suffered a strained knee late in Game 1, and whose status for the remainder of this playoffs campaign is now unknown.

The 6ft 8in forward had played a key role in the Hawks’ triumph over the Wizards, including back-to-back double-double performances in the final two games of that series.

While Atlanta maintain a strong 7-2 SU record in their last nine meetings with the Cavs, they will be desperate for a win on Friday night to avoid travelling to Cleveland down 2-0 in the series.

In addition to losing home-floor advantage, the Hawks have also struggled at times on the road, going 5-9 SU in their last 14 away from Philips Arena. Yet Atlanta have been a solid 4-3 SU and 5-2 ATS in their last seven as underdogs on home court.

Coral betting tip: With the Rockets misfiring, a clean sweep by Golden State in their series is a worthy shout at 5/2.