NBA Finals 2019: Warriors vs. Raptors Spread, Odds, Prop Bets and Betting Tips
The Golden State Warriors deserve to be the favored team in the 2019 NBA Finals.
Steve Kerr's team is making its fifth straight appearance in the championship series and is in search of its fourth title in that span.
Golden State's title-winning experience and star-studded roster has many oddsmakers believing the NBA Finals will go in its favor.
The Toronto Raptors will have plenty to say about that, but the reality is they have a major battle on their hands in their first-ever NBA Finals appearance.
NBA Finals Odds
Series Odds
Game 1 Spread
Series Length Prop Bet
Betting Tips
The Warriors have historically played well in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but this year's series opener against Toronto brings a new component to the table.
This will be the first time in five years the Warriors will open the finals on the road. In each of the four series with Cleveland, Golden State started at home.
A year ago, the Warriors took Game 1 at Oracle Arena by 10 points, and they ended up winning three games by double digits.
In 2016 and 2017, the Warriors also beat the Cavaliers by double digits in Game 1, while the first game in 2015 was won by eight points.
If you are favoring Golden State in Game 1, you likely will not have to sweat out a one-point cover.
But there is a convincing argument to be made for betting on the Raptors in Game 1.
Toronto must take hold of the series with its home-court advantage, and since the players are aware of that, the Raptors should give Golden State their best shots in Games 1 and 2.
Toronto is not short on confidence after winning four straight games to down the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, and three of those victories came at Scotiabank Arena.
Nick Nurse's team still needs everything to go right in order to take a rare advantage over the Warriors, but we saw in Games 5 and 6 against the Bucks just how deadly it can be with Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam complementing Kawhi Leonard in the scoring column.
When it comes to betting on the length of the series, you have to take a few factors into account.
One of them is Toronto starting the series at home. If you believe the Raptors will win at least one game at home, betting on a Warriors sweep is out of the question.
Taking the Warriors in seven games likely won't earn a payout either given the success they have had in the NBA Finals. The only time the Warriors went to Game 7 of the finals was in 2016, when the Cavaliers erased a 3-1 deficit.
Given the schedule of the series, banking on Golden State to win one road game and close out the series at home in Game 6 seems reasonable.
In order to take the series in five games, the Warriors have to win Game 1 or 2 on the road, which is not out of the question since they already have six road wins in the postseason.
Taking Toronto to win the series is a risk that will come with a large payout if it occurs, but if you are willing to gamble on the Raptors, it would be wise to choose a lengthy series.
Toronto needed seven games to get past Philadelphia in the second round and used six games to defeat Milwaukee, two results that suggest it will need another long series to earn a victory in a battle with the Warriors.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference.
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