The Golden State Warriors ended the regular season on a 15-1 straight up and 11-3-2 against-the-spread run. The Warriors will try to carry that momentum into a strong start in the postseason, beginning with a first-round matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.
NBA playoff odds 2017: Warriors clear Western Conference favorites over Spurs, Rockets
The Golden State Warriors enter the postseason in strong form and as the front-runner at the sportsbooks on the odds to get back to the NBA Finals this spring.
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Golden State is a -250 favorite to win the Western Conference at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Even before the return of Kevin Durant, the Warriors had appeared to be rounding into postseason form with a 13-game winning streak. With a healthy Durant back in the fold and home court throughout the postseason, the Warriors are clearly the team to beat.
The Warriors, sitting with a 64.9% chance to win the Western Conference according to PredictionMachine.com, are 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games against Portland (+10000 to win the West).
San Antonio (+300) ended the regular season on a three-game losing streak, but there isn’t much cause for concern among this veteran group. The Spurs kick off their postseason against the Memphis Grizzlies (+6600), who they swept out of the first round last season with a 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS run.
With the second-best defense in the NBA allowing 98.1 points per game and the second-best point differential in the league at +7.2 points per game, the Spurs are clearly a legitimate contender.
There should be no shortage of offense in a first-round series between the Houston Rockets (+750) and Oklahoma City Thunder (+4000). Two of the best players in the NBA will collide with James Harden taking on Russell Westbrook.
While the Thunder may steal a game or two, the Rockets are 9-3 SU and 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games against Oklahoma City per the OddsShark NBA Database, and they shouldn’t have much trouble advancing.
Two solid teams meet in the No. 4 vs No. 5 matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers (+2500) and Utah Jazz (+3300). Both teams finished with identical 51-31 SU records, but the Clippers earned the tiebreaker and home court with a 3-1 record against the Jazz during the regular season.
Los Angeles enters the postseason on an 11-2 SU and 6-5-1 ATS run that includes a current streak of seven straight wins.
NBA Western Conference Betting Odds
Golden State Warriors -250
San Antonio Spurs +300
Houston Rockets +750
Los Angeles Clippers +2500
Utah Jazz +3300
Oklahoma City Thunder +4000
Memphis Grizzlies +6600
Portland Trail Blazers +10000
