NBA Finals 2019 Latest Warriors vs. Raptors Odds and Predictions After Game 1

The Toronto Raptors took Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals, thanks to a strong team performance against the Golden State Warriors Thursday night.

Kawhi Leonard dropped 23 points with eight rebounds, five assists and a steal on Thursday night, but he surprisingly wasn't the player who haunted the Warriors—Golden State actually did a good job of limiting him. Instead, it was third-year player Pascal Siakam who really hurt the Warriors with a 32-point outburst that could be a sign of things to come.

The Warriors—and many a casual NBA fan—learned on Thursday that Toronto is not a one-man army.

Despite the one-game lead, the Finals are not even close to over—Golden State dropped two games to both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Houston Rockets—but it does suggest that we're in for an entertaining series.

The Warriors are no longer the consensus favorites they once were.

NBA Championship Odds After Game 1 (via Oddschecker)

Golden State: 30-51

Toronto: 27-20

Where Do the Warriors Go From Here?

One thing should be clear for Golden State at this point. Focusing solely on Leonard is not going to stop Toronto's offense. The Warriors are going to have to give due attention to the likes of Danny Green (11 points), Fred VanVleet (15 points) and, of course, Siakam.

"Two weeks ago, Siakam was a cinch to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, with little to show for himself in the playoffs," Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote. "Right now, he's a force. That Game 1 performance was no accident, rather a great athlete developing supreme confidence in himself."

The Warriors can hope Toronto's supporting cast doesn't play as lights out as it did on Thursday moving forward. However, if Leonard, who has been dealing with a knee issue, bounces back in any significant way, Golden State could still be in trouble.

How Quickly Can Durant Return?

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The Warriors have played well without Kevin Durant thus far in the postseason, and some folks might argue that they're an even better team without him. This is a silly notion, of course, as Durant adds some teeth to Golden State's mid-range attack that simply isn't there without him.

Golden State's depth isn't stretched quite as thin when Durant is available either, which could be an issue against a team like Toronto.

"Clearly, Golden State could overcome all that against a lot of teams because we've seen the Warriors do it before," Daniel Wolken of USA Today wrote. "But the odds of them doing it this time without Durant don't seem very good, frankly, because the Raptors have better secondary players and more of them."

So how quickly can Durant get back into the lineup? Probably not until Game 3 at the earliest.

"Yeah, it's a long shot," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said about the prospect of Durant returning between Game 1 and Game 2, per Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Perhaps a bigger question now becomes whether the Warriors can win without Durant on Sunday night.

Prediction

It's still difficult to believe that the Warriors are going to drop four games in a series, but a lot is going to hinge on Game 2 and on Durant's timetable for return.

If the Raptors manage to hold serve at home a second time, Golden State will have to win four of the final six games. This is a tall order with or without Durant. Toronto went 2-0 against Golden State in the regular season, after all.

If Durant cannot get back until Game 4 or 5? Well, the Warriors are going to be in trouble.

The Finals picture will become clearer after Game 2. Should the Warriors manage to steal that one, they'll have a good chance of winning their fourth title in five years.

Prediction: Warriors in seven.