If the crowd at Oakland’s Oracle Arena seems a little more boisterous on Wednesday for Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors, it’s because it likely will be the last time many of those fans can afford to see the Dubs in person.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
The Warriors are moving to a glitzy new arena in San Francisco next year and will have significantly higher ticket prices. Wednesday could be the penultimate game in Oakland, and the Warriors are 6-point favorites as they look to take a 2-1 series lead on the Raptors.
Probably would be easier to address which Warriors are healthy right now instead of banged up. The biggest question remains Kevin Durant, still yet to play since Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals due to his calf injury. He’s been ruled out for Wednesday night’s game.
Klay Thompson left Golden State’s 109-104 road win in Game 2 with a hamstring injury. An MRI confirmed a strain, and he’s listed as questionable for Wednesday’s Game 3, although Thompson says he expects to play. Thompson had 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in Game 2. Big man Kevon Looney is done for the Finals with a fracture in his collar bone. He missed the second half of Game 2 with the injury.
Looney’s injury should mean plenty more time for DeMarcus Cousins, who was a big reason the Warriors won Game 2. In 28 minutes, Cousins had 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. He was a total non-factor in Game 1 coming off his own long injury absence.
The Raptors have to be kicking themselves for not winning Game 2 with all these injury problems the Warriors are dealing with and the fact the Dinos had a double-digit lead. Toronto did win easily in Oakland during the regular season and star Kawhi Leonard missed the game.
It’s Golden State’s first home game since May 16, and it’s on a five-game winning streak at Oracle. In the NBA Finals all-time, the Warriors have a 7-3 record in Game 3, including 2-2 in the past four years. The Raptors are 4-4 on the road in these playoffs, winning at least one road game in all three series. The Raptors are 3-11 ATS in their past 14 trips to Oakland.
