NBA Playoff Picks: Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs, Game 1

Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs
Monday, 5/6/13, 9:30 PM EST, TV: TNT
Opening Point Spread: San Antonio -8
Current Betting Line: San Antonio -9
Opening Total: 201
Current Total: 201.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The San Antonio Spurs have won 29 consecutive home games against the Golden State Warriors

Golden State advanced past the Denver Nuggets in six games in its Western Conference quarterfinal series, as it closed things out with a 92-88 victory as two-point home favorites last Thursday, while going UNDER the total for a second consecutive contest. The Warriors are going to need a big series out of point guard Stephen Curry, who knocked down 272 3-pointers during the regular season. Golden State is 6-0 ATS in the 2013 playoffs, which can’t be ignored when making your NBA picks against the spread Monday night.

The Warriors were 19-22 overall when playing away from Oracle Arena during the regular season, which included an 11-15 mark versus conference foes. Curry is averaging 24.3 points and 9.3 assists during the postseason, while leading the franchise to its first series win since 2007. The team is averaging 101.6 points per game on the offensive end, but allowing 100.5, which ends up being a slim +1.1 point differential.

San Antonio hasn’t been seen on an NBA court since April 28, as it earned a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round—winning each of those contests by a double-digit margin. The Spurs limited the Lakers to 85.3 points per game in the series, which can’t be ignored when looking over the pro basketball odds page. Point guard Tony Parker and forward Tim Duncan continue to lead this franchise, averaging 22.3 and 17.5 points during the playoffs. San Antonio is 10-4 ATS as home favorites of 6.5 to 9 points this season.

The Spurs were 35-6 overall at the AT&T Center during the regular season, including an impressive 23-4 mark versus conference rivals. San Antonio has won 29 consecutive home games against Golden State, while it owns a 97-52 overall advantage in regular season play. Parker may be overlooked in this matchup due to Curry’s recent exploits, but he’s scored 20-or-more points in 72 career postseason games.