After the Raptors defeat the depleted Warriors to take a 2-1 lead, Nick Ballistreri previews Game 4 and makes his pick as the Raptors look to take a commanding lead.
Game 4 of the NBA Finals will be played at Oracle Arena, on Friday June 7, at 9:00 PM EST. The game be seen on ABC.
Warriors vs Raptors preview
When Steph Curry goes supernova like he did in Game 3, the Warriors record is about 1000-0. That’s made up, but you get my point. Curry did everything for the Warriors, hitting ridiculous 3-pointers, making all the right passes, and playing some pesky D. Curry finished with 47 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, LeBron-like numbers. It still wasn’t enough.
The Raptors made a statement in Game 3 that they don’t care who lines up against them, they are going to come out ready to play. The Toronto Raptors, on the backs of Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry, defeated the Warriors 123-109 to take a 2-1 series lead in Oracle.
Kawhi Leonard continued statement playoff run with another 30 point game, finishing with 7 boards and 6 assists to cap. Leonard was not alone. Kyle Lowry hit more big shots than I can remember in this playoff history to this point, not backing down from the pressure filled situations, finishing with 23 points and 9 assists of his own. Pascal Siakam chipped in a 19-9-6 statline.
We can’t talk about this game without talking about Danny Green. Green has been here before, hitting huge shots on the big stage before and even breaking the finals record for most 3-pointers in a game. For a moment, I thought he was going to break his own record. Green was unconscious, going 6-10 from deep and finishing with 18 points. Most of these 3’s came at the most opportune times for the Raptors, spelling a couple Warriors runs when it looked like the home team would regain the momentum.
For the Warriors, where do they go from here? The team is incredibly banged-up, already fighting the injury to star Kevin Durant. To make matters worse, co-star Klay
Thompson was declared inactive an hour before tipoff, and backup center Kevon Looney was declared by the staff as out indefinitely.
The Warriors have had an incredible string of luck over this 5 year playoff run. At some point, you have to wonder if maybe that luck is running out. Time and time again, this team has faced adversity and responded with a huge win. Draymond Green declared that all the Warriors have to do to win is win the next 3. It remains to be seen if this team has it in them with their health holding them back.
You already know about Curry’s heroics. This was unanimous MVP Stephen Curry. He was ridiculous, and the sole reason the Warriors had any business being in this game. The Raptors were throwing waves of defenders his way, and it just didn’t matter. It was a beautiful thing to watch.
Besides Curry, the Warriors had no answers. Draymond finished with 17 points, but most of those came in the 4th quarter when the score was too much to overcome. Andre Iguodala was the only other Warriors in double figures, finishing with 11. After Demarcus Cousins made a huge impact in Game 2, he looked washed up.
The Raptors now have a chance to win Game 4 and take a 3-1 back to Toronto. A lot of this game hinges on the Warriors health, with team officials thinking that Klay should be back in time for this game. We also know about the Kevin Durant cloud hanging over this series. He may not play in this game, but he could be back. The Raptors have to take advantage of the games played before the Warriors are back at full strength.
Warriors vs Raptors key series stats
● The Raptors made 17 three-pointers, tied for most by any road team in Finals history
● The Raptors had 30 assists in Game 3
● Steph Curry finished with more points than the other Warriors starters combined, 47-36
● The Warriors are 4-1 coming off a loss this postseason
Warriors vs Raptors betting lines
● The Warriors opened as 5.5 point favorites in Game 4
● The best lines are being offered by Pointsbet, with the Warriors ML at -125, and the Raptors at +130
Warriors vs Raptors Game 4 Spread Prediction
The Warriors are once again listed as 5.5 favorites. I took them in Game 3 at this line, but I had a disclaimer for you guys! The pick would change if Klay Thompson didn’t suit up, and sure enough, he didn’t. Game 4 is the biggest game of this series. If the Warriors don’t win and end up down 3-1 going back to Toronto, this one could be over. The Raptors have looked like the better team 90% of this series, and I have to give credit where it is due. 5.5 is steep to me. Klay Thompson should be back, and the Warriors sure do need him. That being said, 5.5 is too much for me, but I believe the Warriors will win a close one. With the odds on Pointsbet being very friendly, I think there is value in taking the Warriors at their ML price. Expect a close one, but a Warriors victory nonetheless!
