Dallas (0-0) at Golden State (0-0)
When: Wednesday, May 18th, 2022
Where: Chase Center,
San Francisco, CA
Time: 9:00 ET | TV: TNT
Opening Odds: Golden State -5.5/215
While the top two teams in the Eastern Conference are battling it out, its the fourth-seeded Dallas Mavericks and third-seeded Golden State Warriors who will tangle in the Western Conference finals. Game 1 is set for Wednesday night in San Francisco, as the Warriors finished the regular season one-game better than Dallas. However, the Mavericks ruled the season series 3-1 including a 107-101 road win on Feb. 27. To be fair to the Warriors, Draymond Green did not play in three of those four meetings, but is back and playing well this postseason.
Dallas star Luka Doncic averaged 31.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists this season against the Warriors, while Dwight Powell averaged 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in about 19 minutes per game. Steph Curry averaged 20.0 points, 7.8 assists and 6.8 rebounds for the Warriors and Andrew Wiggins 16.5 points. Doncic outscored Curry in all four games. Dallas is a 5-point favorite with a total of 214.5 for Wednesday’s Game 1. The Warriors have had two extra days of rest, having wrapped up their second-round series against Memphis on Friday, while the Mavericks went to a Game 7 in Phoenix on Sunday.
The Mavericks shocked the world on Sunday, not just because they won at the No. overall seed Phoenix, but how they did it. Dallas completely annihilated the Suns 123-90 in one of the most unlikely results in league playoff history. It was the second-largest margin of victory in a series-clinching game vs. the best regular-season team in league history. Doncic recorded 35 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals in that game and averaged 32.6 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 7.0 apg in the series. Phoenix’s 30-point halftime deficit was the largest ever in a Game 7 also. Spencer Dinwiddie is averaging 15.7 points on 64.0 percent shooting from the field and 62.6 percent from beyond the arc in the last three games.
The Warriors last played on Friday when they eliminated the Grizzlies 110-96. Klay Thompson, who had struggled in the series, finished with 30 points and 8-of-14 from beyond the arc. The Warriors are in the Western Conference Finals for the sixth time in the last eight years. Golden State is an amazing 20-2 straight-up in Game 1 of a series since 2015. Head coach Steve Kerr missed the final three games against Memphis due to COVID, but will be back on Wednesday. Curry is leading the Warriors in the playoffs with 26.9 points per game, while Thompson is putting up 20.4. Jordan Poole is averaging 19.3 points on 50 percent shooting.
Golden State has the homecourt advantage, but this series is going to be close. Dallas is playing extremely well and have a ton of confidence after knocking off the No. 1 seed. As long as Doncic is on the floor, Dallas should be in every game. I’ll take the points.
Check out who Bobby Babowski has on his Free NBA Picks page for today.
Pick: Mavericks +5
