The Golden State Warriors carry a 1-0 lead into Game 2 in Western Conference Finals on Friday night. Golden State opened up the series with a comfortable 112-87 victory on Wednesday night to jump out to an early advantage.
Friday’s Game 2 tip-offs at 9 p.m. EST inside the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA. The Warriors are a 6.5-point favorite, and the over-under total is 214.0 points.
What to Know – Dallas Mavericks
Dallas was unable to get it going offensively in the opener, failing to reach triple digits for just the fifth time this postseason. The Mavericks attempted 48 shots from the arc, hitting just 11 of them. Dallas entered the playoffs as the fourth-seed in Western Conference after a 52-30 record during the regular season and 36-16 against teams from the West.
Luka Doncic is making a strong case for playoff MVP with his offensive contributions for the Mavericks. Doncic is pouring in 30.5 points per game behind 46.4% shooting from the field and 34.3% shooting from the arc.
The Mavericks are getting offensive output from guards Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie. Brunson has put together a fantastic postseason averaging 22.3 points per game, while Dinwiddie’s 40.3% shooting from the arc has lead to averaging 13.5 points.
This season the Mavericks are 56-38-2 against the spread with a 28-21 mark away from home. Dallas is 9-4 ATS over its last 13 matchups and 11-4 ATS in its previous 15 against Golden State.
What to Know – Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are three wins away from returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2019, when Golden State made the finals five years in a row. Golden State was a benefactor of poor shooting from the Mavs in the opener and look to extended its series lead to 2-0. The Warriors are the three-seed in the Western Conference.
After missing the final stretch of the regular season with an injury, Steph Curry has continued to do what he’s done for years, and that’s getting the basketball in the hoop. Curry paces the Warriors’ offense scoring 26.4 points per game.
Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole have stepped up to take some of the scoring responsibilities away from Curry. Thompson is scoring 19.9 ppg while Poole is chipping in 19.3.
Golden State has a 47-43-4 record ATS this year, including a 28-18-2 record at home. The Warriors are 3-6 ATS over their previous nine games and 2-6 ATS in the last eight contests playing the Mavs at home.
The Pick is In
Poor shooting led to the season-opening blowout defeat for the Mavericks, and it is hard to imagine a team of this caliber having another off-night shooting the ball. Golden State has struggled ATS at home recently against Dallas and expect that trend to continue Friday night.
The Warriors should win the game, but the Mavs keep this one close up until the final buzzer.
Betting Pick: Dallas Mavericks +6.5
