Warriors’ Win Over Rockets Solidifies Them As NBA Championship Favorites

Following their 110-106 victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, the Golden State Warriors have further cemented their position as the NBA championship betting favorites at 2-5 odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

The Warriors’ victory extended their current winning streak to four games and marked the first time the club has tallied 110 or more points since Game 3 of their opening-round series against the New Orleans Pelicans.

However, Golden State failed to cover as 10.5-point favorites in Game 1, dropping it to 2-6 against the spread in its last eight games as a double-digit betting favorite.

Houston is sitting as a 10.5-point underdog ahead of Thursday night’s Rockets vs. Warriors betting matchup at Oracle Arena. The Rockets are winless in their last six meetings with Golden State, 1-5 ATS, including four losses on the road.

The Rockets have now averaged 101 points per game against Golden State in five meetings this season, but will need to be better defensively against the Warriors’ league-leading offense, which has averaged over 122 points per game in their last three games against Houston.

Not surprisingly, the Rockets now are listed back at 20-1 on the odds to win the NBA championship at the sportsbooks.

In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers tip off the Eastern Conference finals against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday as slim one-point road underdogs.

The Cavaliers are an impressive 4-1 straight up on the road during the postseason after recording a middling 22-19 SU road record during the regular season and will need to continue their strong play in Atlanta, where they are winless SU in their last five visits, 2-3 ATS.

Overall, Cleveland is a dismal 3-15 SU in its last 18 games against the Hawks, but its record of futility has not prevented it from being pegged as a strong -220 series betting favorite for the Eastern Conference finals, while the Hawks trail as +180 underdogs.

Cleveland’s resilience in bouncing back from a 2-1 series deficit to defeat the Chicago Bulls in six games in the second round has also boosted its NBA championship odds, which are now listed at 11-4, trailing only Golden State. The Hawks are at 10-1 odds.

Thumbnail photo via Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports Images