The Golden State Warriors lost back-to-back games at Oracle Arena, which could’ve been their final contests in the building, but they refused to go out like that, and instead showed their championship mettle — earning a huge road win in Game 5.
And now, they have a shot to close out Oracle Arena with a win, as well as a chance to force a potential winner-take-all Game 7. This would potentially allow them to flip the script and reverse the 3-1 comeback fate they suffered against the Cavs in the 2016 NBA Finals.
But it won’t be easy, as the Raptors are back to having the best player on the court — Kawhi Leonard — on their side, now that Kevin Durant suffered a season-ending (and possibly career-altering) torn Achilles. Still, the Splash Brothers — Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry — could be enough to get it done on Thursday, as that deadly backcourt duo can never be counted out.
Warriors -2 (-125)
Laying only a bucket in what will be the final game ever played at Oracle Arena screams value to us. It will be a special night for not only the Warriors — looking to send the building out with a win — but also the city of Oakland, which will soon also lose the Raiders in one year’s time as well.
Curry and Thompson will need to combine for at least 60 points to give the Warriors a chance to win — but they’re more than capable of doing that. They’ll also need an X-Factor to step up — possibly DeMarcus Cousins, or maybe Andre Iguodala. Kevon Looney should be available to play, but it remains to be seen how many minutes he’ll suit up for, and also how effective he’ll be, given that he’s still banged up.
That said, we’re backing the defending champs to show that they’re still exactly that, and we refuse to believe they’ll lose three consecutive games at home (unlike the Boston Bruins).
