Getty The Raptors take on the Warriors in the 2019 NBA finals.
We are days away from the start of the NBA Finals as Game 1 tips off on Thursday, May 30th at 9 p.m. Eastern on ABC. The Raptors have moved up to a slight one-point favorite over the Warriors in Game 1, per OddsShark. The over-under is set at 213.5 for the first game in Toronto. Golden State is still seen as a heavy favorite to win the series at -290 compared to the Raptors’ title odds of +230, per FanDuel.
All eyes continue to be on the Warriors injury report as Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins go through their recovery process. Durant has essentially been ruled out for the first two games of the finals. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported there is “chatter” that Durant may not return at all for the finals.
After sustaining a serious hamstring injury, Cousins’ prognosis appears to be much better. ESPN’s Marc Spears reported that Cousins was scrimmaging with the non-starters during practice. Durant’s travel status for the first two games in Toronto has not been announced.
The Warriors Will Play Their First Playoff Game in More Than a Week
While the Raptors rallied to win four straight games against the Bucks, the Warriors have been resting after sweeping the Blazers in the Western Conference Finals. Game 1 will be Golden State’s first game in more than a week. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr admitted that the team had to wait to see who their finals opponent would be before implementing a game plan.
“You can’t put a game plan together if you don’t have an opponent,” Kerr told NBC Sports. “When you don’t have the opponent, you’re going through your own rituals. As soon as you have the opponent, now you have individual player tendencies. You have team actions that they run that you’re going to have to deal with. Trends. All those things that go into a playoff series.”
NBA Finals Schedule 2019
Here is a look at the NBA finals schedule, per Sports Media Watch.
| DATE | GAME | TIME(ET)/TV CHANNEL |
| Thurs., May 30 | Warriors vs. Raptors Game 1 | 9 p.m. ABC |
| Sun., June 2 | Warriors vs. Raptors Game 2 | 8 p.m. ABC |
| Wed., June 5 | Raptors vs. Warriors Game 3 | 9 p.m. ABC |
| Fri., June 7 | Raptors vs. Warriors Game 4 | 9 p.m. ABC |
| Mon., June 10 | Warriors vs. Raptors Game 5 | 9 p.m. ABC |
| Thurs., June 13 | Raptors vs. Warriors Game 6 | 9 p.m. ABC |
| Sun. June 16 | Warriors vs. Raptors Game 7 | 8 p.m. ABC |
The Raptors Swept the Season Series Against the Warriors
The Raptors enter the NBA finals with confidence as they swept both games against the Warriors during the regular season. The two games occurred within less than a month of each other on November 29 and December 12. The Raptors won the last game by 10 points, and the initial matchup by three points in overtime. Prior to their title series showdown, Kerr praised the work of Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.
“It’s sort of an opportunity to reset things, and so, for the Raptors, they make the big trade getting Kawhi and Danny,” Kerr explained to Yahoo Sports. “For Nick to sometimes start Serge Ibaka at the five, probably was an easier thing to do being a new head coach. For me, that move was Andre Iguodala, moving him to the bench — doing the opposite — those kinds of moves are easier when you take a job because you can present, sort of, a new vision for your group.”