NBA Playoff Betting Preview: Jazz vs. Warriors Game 1, May 2, 2017

  • May 1, 2017

by Jim Feist

Biggest betting mismatch of the week as the #5 seed Utah Jazz head to the mighty Golden State Warriors for Game 1 on Tuesday, May 2, 2017. Utah is off a 7-game series with the Clippers, playing Sunday, while the Warriors are rested after sweeping Portland. In Vegas the Warriors went from a 13-point favorite to -13.5 and the total has come down from 208 to 207. Utah will try and slow the pace down while rested Golden State will want to run.

#5 Utah Jazz (55-34; 25-20 away) – 6-2-1 ATS run

  • Utah: Tops in the NBA in points allowed (96.8), #3 field goal shooting defense, led by 27-year old 6-8 Gordon Hayward (21.8 ppg).
  •  Georgia Hill (17 ppg) and Derrick Favors run the backcourt.
  •  Utah Center Rudy Gobert (ankle) is close to full health after struggling Sunday in Game 7.
  • 5-0 ATS away. Utah is off a Game 7 win at the Clippers.  5-1 under the total on the road.
  • (Jim Feist is on a 101-60  NBA run. Baseball, NBA + NHL 3-Pack cashes Tuesday: Click: FastFactsToday)

#1 Seed Warriors (71-15; 38-5 home)

  • Golden State: Incredible star power behind Durant (25 ppg), Steph Curry (25.3 pg), Klay Thompson (22.3 pg), and workhorse Green (10.2 p, 8 rpg)
  • 12-3-1 ATS vs the West, plus a  42-20 run under the total.
  • #1 in scoring (115.9 pg) in the NBA, #1 in field goal shooting defense (.435), #1 in three-point defense (.324).
  • The extra rest has allowed Warriors All-Star F Kevin Durant (calf) to recover from an injury that had him miss two games in the Portland series.
  • Golden State coach Steve Kerr (back surgery complications) is expected to miss the series, so Mike Brown will coach the team.
  • 38-17-1 ATS in their last 56 home games vs. a team with a winning road record
  • The under is 33-16-2 at home vs. a team with a winning road record.
  • Head-to-head:  The Under is 13-3-1 when these teams clash at Golden State, the home team is 7-2 ATS and the under 23-7-2 when they collide. The Utah Jazz are also 1-6 ATS at Golden State.  Golden State won two of the three regular-season meetings, with Utah’s win came at Oracle Arena (105-99 on April 14) when Hayward was sidelined with a quadriceps contusion.

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