Underdogs Rockets, Hawks Face Elimination NBA Conference Finals
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It has been almost 27 months since the Golden State Warriors were last defeated in four straight games, but that is the daunting task now facing the Houston Rockets, who enter Game 4 of the Western Conference final down 3-0 and pegged as five-point home underdogs in NBA betting at Coral.
The Rockets had threatened to make the series close in Games 1 and 2, staging a pair of thrilling fourth-quarter rallies before falling to the Warriors at Oracle Arena, where Golden State has lost on just three occasions this season.
Houston picked up ATS wins as distant 10.5-point underdogs in each contest, reducing the Warriors to just 1.5-point favourites ahead of Game 3 at Toyota Center.
But there would be no drama on Saturday night as Golden State demonstrated why they are heavy odds-on 2/5 favourites in NBA championship betting with Coral, crushing the Rockets in a 115-80 rout to move within one game of advancing to the NBA Finals.
Led by this year’s MVP, Steph Curry, who tallied 40 points including seven three-pointers to set a new record for most treys scored during an NBA Playoff run, the Warriors look to be unstoppable in their march to their first NBA title since 1975.
With no team in NBA history ever rebounding from a 3-0 playoff series deficit, and the Warriors not suffering a losing streak longer than two games this season, GSW looks to be a cert to advance to this year’s Final.
Golden State is now 27-4 SU in their last 31 games, but high expectations have made them a mediocre bet at times, going 7-12 ATS in their last 19, 2-8 ATS when favoured by more than eight points.
The Rockets are 6-2 SU in their last eight while facing elimination, but the oddsmakers at Coral favour a Warriors sweep, pegging the odds of GSW completing the sweep tonight at 1/2 in NBA series betting at their online sportsbook.
Atlanta Hawks @ Cleveland Cavaliers (-8.5)
The Atlanta Hawks will also face the broom on Tuesday night when they battle the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final as 8.5-point underdogs in basketball betting at Coral.
Following a pair of convincing SU and ATS victories in Atlanta in Games 1 and 2, the Cavaliers needed overtime to get past the Hawks by a 114-111 score on Sunday night, pushing the Eastern Conference regular season champs to the brink of elimination.
The Cavs have been getting it done without two of their big stars, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. Love’s season was ended following a shoulder injury in game 4 of the Cleveland’s opening-round series against the Boston Celtics, while Irving has been absent for the past two games with a knee injury.
The Hawks have also been bitten by the injury bug, most notably Kyle Korver, who is out for the season after suffering a high ankle sprain in Game 2.
Lebron James has picked up the slack for Cleveland, rebounding from a brutal start in Game 3 to post a triple-double in the Cavs’ victory.
Cleveland have now won six straight overall, 3-3 ATS, and have finally buried a recent record of futility against Atlanta that saw them win just three of 18 contests against the Hawks prior to the start of this series.
Atlanta has now dropped to 3-8 SU in their last 11 on the road, and with Sunday’s loss has dropped to 125/1 longshots in NBA championship betting at Coral, while the Cavs improve slightly to a solid 7/4.
