The NBA Playoffs is off to a great start as Golden State, Toronto and Philadelphia delighted the online gambling faithful with convincing wins in the opener.
And in a big live betting twist, sixth-seeded New Orleans staged the ultimate upset of the day as they defied betting odds and took down high-flying Portland in a game that featured an intense fourth-quarter battle.
San Antonio Spurs 92-113 Golden State Warriors
Draymond Green has every right to say that they are a “championship ball club” after the Warriors rout the Spurs in Game 1 at Oracle Arena.
With Steph Curry still out due to injury, Golden State showed they have what it takes by dominating on both ends of the floor. Steve Kerr fielded a lineup composed of Green, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and JaVale McGee—a group which has not started together during the regular season—and it paid off big time as they outscored the Spurs 40-26 in 16 minutes with that starting core.
Oh, that group also didn’t allow an offensive rebound and outscored San Antonio 16-6 in the paint.
Thompson was particularly sensational for the Dubs as he bagged five three-pointers (out of six attempts) en route to 27 points.
Washington Wizards 106-114 Toronto Raptors
The Raptors have an ugly history when it comes to Game 1—they are 0-5 at home in Game 1’s under Dwane Casey and 1-12 overall in Game 1’s played outside Air Canada Center—but they proved they are a different team now.
Relying on a deep rotation, Toronto survived a scare and fended off the Wizards in the fourth quarter, thanks to super-sub Delon Wright who scored 12 of his 18 points in the final frame.
Serge Ibaka, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry led the way for the East top seed, but it was undoubtedly their bench that made the difference as they outscored the Wizards’ reserves, 42-21.
Miami Heat 103-130 Philadelphia 76ers
We thought the Sixers, without their All-Star Joel Embiid, would have a tough time against the hard-working Heat, but we couldn’t be more wrong.
Miami had a hot start and dropped 60 points on the young Sixers at halftime. However, Erik Spoelstra’s men weren’t able to maintain that for long as Philadelphia responded with 74 second-half points, including a 40-point explosion in the fourth quarter.
Rookie sensation Ben Simmons tallied a near triple-double of 17 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds to spark the Sixers and further solidify his case for the Rookie of the Year award. Philly also registered a team playoff record 18 three-pointers in 28 attempts, which is considered one of their most efficient performances.
New Orleans Pelicans 97-95 Portland Trail Blazers
Portland had a hard time against New Orleans in the regular season, and that proved to be the case once again in their first-round meeting.
The Pels led by as much as 19 points in the game and held on despite a late fightback from Damian Lillard and Co.
Sure enough, the Blazers managed to cut the lead down to just a point in the second half. However, Anthony Davis proved to be too much for Portland, providing New Orleans with a much-needed superstar production and finishing the match with 35 points and 14 rebounds.
Credit should also be given to Rajon Rondo who switched to playoff mode and dished out 17 dimes in the process.
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