NBA Playoffs on ESPN Thursday Betting Report: May 21

The NBA Playoffs on ESPN Thursday Betting Report: May 21, The NBA’s conference finals got underway this past Tuesday night with Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals’ matchup between the No. 2 Houston Rockets and the No. 1 Golden State Warriors. That series will resume this Thursday night with Game 2 from ORACLE Arena with a scheduled tip of 9 p.m. (ET). The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Houston closed as a 10.5-point road underdog in the series opener and while it could not hold on for the straight-up win, it was able to cover against the spread in the 110-106 loss. VietBet has opened the Rockets as 10-point road underdogs for Thursday night’s contest with the betting odds for the total set at 220. Tuesday’s game stayed UNDER the 219-point closing line.

The Rockets needed three-straight victories as underdogs against the Los Angeles Clippers to advance to the conference finals after trailing 3-1 in that best-of-seven series. After opening up a 16-point lead on Golden State in the first half of Game 1, the fatigue factor from both the physical and emotional drain it took to pull-off such a dramatic comeback may have taken its toll. The other contributing factor to Tuesday’s collapse was the loss of Dwight Howard, who left the game late in the first half with a bruised knee. He is currently listed as questionable for Game 2.