Not all that often are the Golden State Warriors underdogs, much less huge underdogs. Even more rare is LeBron James playing on the Thursday night and not having the game televised by TNT.
Well, we have an extraordinary daily double for you right there, folks.
The Warriors, who will be without Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, are getting between 9 and 9.5 points on Vegas and offshore gambling sites. Yes, they are playing the best team in the Eastern Conference as they visit the Toronto Raptors. But 9 to 9.5 points?
The only time their lines have been that high, with the Warriors as the underdogs, have been in meaningless regular season games over the past couple of seasons when playoff seedings have already been determined.
Golden State is bringing a three-game winning streak (Magic, Kings, Trail Blazers) into this game, while Toronto has won six straight since their hiccup of a three-game losing streak. At 18-4, they have the best record in the NBA, and they are 7-1 against teams from the West.
Toronto connected on a season-high 18 three-pointers against Grizzlies Tuesday, shooting 18-for-33 from deep.
The team had 10 threes in the second half, with Kyle Lowry and Danny Green combining to shoot 9-for-16 from beyond the arc in the game. Toronto is shooting an NBA-best 43 percent from three in their previous three contests.
“Obviously we’re human,” said Fred VanVleet, who played 22 minutes off the bench, including the entire fourth quarter, and finished with 18 points on 6-for-6 shooting, including 3-for-3 from deep — all in the fourth quarter when he scored 12 of Toronto’s 29 points. “You’ll be about to feel the energy in the arena just naturally. As competitors and professionals, you try to go into every game the same way.
“If you do that with a good focus and good intensity, you like your chances against anybody. For me, it’s going to be the same approach as [Tuesday’s game] for tomorrow.”
VanVleet does not have a point total prop on the board tonight, but two players do:
- The over/under on Kevin Durant’s points is 30.5.
- The over/under on Kawhi Leonard’s points is 26.5.
Durant has scored 31 or more in each of his last three games, and in nine games this season. Leonard has scored 27 or more only six times this season, but he has done it in two of the last three games.
The Lakers, coming off a 32-point loss at Denver, are somehow a 4.5-point favorite over the visiting Indiana Pacers.
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LeBron James’ team is 3-7 against the spread at home, while Indiana is 2-0 on its four-game Western swing and has won five of seven.
- The only prop bets worth noting are LeBron’s point total (27.5) and his total points, rebounds and assists (43.5).
James is coming off a season-low 14-point outing against Denver. His previous season-low was 18 at Toronto on Nov. 4, and he came back the next game with 24. You really never want to bet against the guy, but this latest three-game stretch certainly qualifies as a slump by his standards.
The over/under on what time TNT shifts over to the Lakers-Pacers game is 8:45 p.m. PDT.
As for the TNT nightcap, the Western Conference-leading Clippers are only 2.5-point favorites against the 10-10 Kings.
All together now: “Curious.”
The Clips are 13-7 against the spread, while the Kings are 12-7-1. Still, that 2.5-point line seems low given the way Doc Rivers has his team playing. There are no prop bets on Clippers players.
Good luck tonight.
