The two No. 2 seeds did not have a great start to the NBA playoffs as both the Toronto Raptors and the Denver Nuggets were upset in Game 1 of their respective series.
While the Nuggets going down to the experienced San Antonio Spurs wasn’t all that surprising, the Magic taking one at Toronto was a bit of a shock.
Those would-be contenders will now look to bounce back and salvage a split at home in Game 2 before heading on the road.
Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder are engaged in a closely contested series that SBOBET basketball fans should enjoy. And after narrowly winning Game 1, the Blazers have their sights set on taking a commanding 2-0 lead.
Orlando Magic @ Toronto Raptors (ORL leads 1-0)
Although the Magic went an impressive 11-2 in their last 13 regular-season games to make it back to the playoffs, most NBA 2019 predictions didn’t see them giving the No. 2-seeded Raptors much trouble. But they showed everyone in their shocking Game 1 win that they are not to be taken lightly.
However, taking one game in Toronto is probably as good as it’s going to get for the Magic, as a second straight upset seems highly unlikely.
D.J. Augustin made several NBA 2019 highlights in Game 1 as he went off for 25 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer, but it’s hard to see him playing quite as well again. Meanwhile, the Magic’s magnificent 3-point shooting (14-29, 48 per cent) is bound to come back to earth.
On the other side, the Raptors should be raring to go and restore some order in this series after they were upset. Kyle Lowry, in particular, will have a chip on his shoulder after going scoreless in Game 1.
If Lowry can provide that third option behind Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam, it’ll be tough to stop the Raptors from running away from the Magic this time around.
Betting Tip: Raptors -9.50 @ 1.85
San Antonio Spurs @ Denver Nuggets (SA leads 1-0)
The Spurs didn’t have to play all that spectacularly to take Game 1 in Denver. Their two All-Stars — LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan — both struggled with their shot as they went a combined 12-of-36 from the field.
Instead, the Nuggets just couldn’t take the many chances they had to take command of the game. They came close several times to take the lead in the second half, but they came up just short.
Nikola Jokic had a triple-double with 14 rebounds and 14 assists, but his 10 points and nine shot attempts weren’t quite enough. Jamal Murray was left to take the important shots late in the game, and he was unable to convert. He finished with 17 points on just 8-of-24 shooting.
Denver, who shot a disappointing 6-of-28 on 3-pointers, should see some slight improvement in Game 2. They will certainly need to improve because they obviously can’t afford to go down 2-0 heading back to San Antonio.
But even if the Nuggets do hit a few more shots in Game 2, the Spurs should still have the wherewithal to stay within striking distance in Denver.
Betting Tip: Spurs +7.00 @ 1.94
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Portland Trail Blazers (POR leads 1-0)
It wasn’t easy, but the Blazers just about survived to win Game 1 as the Thunder pushed them hard until the end. Neither Damian Lillard nor C.J. McCollum scored particularly efficiently, but they produced 54 points between them. Meanwhile, big man Enes Kanter picked up the slack with 20 points and 18 rebounds while starting in place of the injured Jusuf Nurkic.
For the Thunder, it was an achievement that they still had a chance to win despite shooting a horrific 5-of-33 from beyond the arc. Point guards Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder combined to go 0-of-11, while All-Star forward Paul George went 4-of-15 on 3-pointers as he continues to struggle with a shoulder injury.
Although, George said his shoulder is pain-free after Game 1, which is great news for the Thunder. With the way the Thunder are constructed, they can’t really withstand those types of off shooting nights from their two superstars.
OKC should still be able to keep the game relatively close thanks to their swarming defence. But with doubts still surrounding George’s shoulder and his ability to score effectively, the Blazers and their Lillard-led attack appear to have just enough firepower to hold serve at home.
Betting Tip: Blazers -2.50 @ 2.07
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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