Just yesterday, we saw that the Clippers could be the biggest threat to the Clippers road to the Finals.Just yesterday we were talking about how Steph Curry’s MCL sprain opened up a whole new discussion in sports betting regarding the way the NBA Western Conference Playoffs were headed.
Just yesterday, with Curry’s injury we spoke how the best scenario for the Warriors would be if LA managed to lose the advantage they had over the Blazers. Just yesterday, we talked about how the Spurs were close of becoming the new favorites to win the Western Conference title.
And then, in the third quarter of the Clippers and Blazers, Chris Paul’s right hand got caught on Blazers’ G Gerald Henderson’s jersey and sustained a third metacarpal fracture to his right hand. And in the blink of an eye the captain of the Clippers’ ship went down. If that wasn’t enough, in the 4th Quarter, the returning Blake Griffin, who was showing flashes that he was starting to reach his full form, also was sidelined as his left quad injury, appeared to have afflicted him once again. The Clippers would lose a game they were tightly contesting against Portland 98 – 84, and now the series are tied 2 games apiece, leaving the series wide open.
For sports betting purposes, this will affect the odds for the remainder of the series very deeply as Chris Paul is initially believed to be out for the rest of the playoffs. CP3 was the heart and soul of this LA team and was starting to show a lot of promise that this year Los Angeles might be able to fiercely contest the Warriors, if both teams were to meet at the second round. In the hypothetical scenario that had Paul healthy and Curry injured, the Clippers could have had a fairly decent shot at taking it to Golden State and pushing them to the limit. But, without Paul AND now with the possibility of losing Griffin also, leaves a huge dark cloud of uncertainty over the Los Angeles Clippers’ chance of even reaching the second round. Their online betting odds to beat Portland at home are not going to look good for them.
The Trailblazers have found a new life and will be able to make this series go to distance. With an injury-riddled Clippers team, they smell blood in the water and they will look to take advantage of it on game 5 and 6. It is safe to say that they know that they are going to be the online betting favorites for the first time of the series, and that the Clippers might not have the same spark they showed on the first two games. Griffin could be back, but it is highly unlikely, but Chris Paul is almost certain that won’t be making an appearance on the remainder of the postseason.
Game 4 leaves the Western Conference with more questions than answers and a unexpected scenario for sports betting on the NBA playoffs. The Spurs and Thunder calmly await in the second round, knowing that they have a much greater chance of reaching the NBA Finals.