Free NBA Picks Today For Western Conference Finals Game 1, 2022

Free NBA Picks Today For Western Conference Finals Game 1, 2022
Wed 18th May 2022

Our free NBA picks are out for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals series between the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors! Make sure you check our expert NBA picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free NBA picks for the first game of the Western Conference Finals between the Mavericks and Warriors!

Dallas Mavericks @ Golden State Warriors – 9pm ET

The Dallas Mavericks will hit the road for the first two games of their Conference Finals series with the Golden State Warriors. The Mavericks got through the Jazz in six games in the first round, and then in the Conference Semifinals they did the unthinkable, beating the best team in the league, the Suns, in seven games. The Warriors only dropped one game in their Round 1 series against the Nuggets, and in their next round they were pushed to six games against the Grizzlies.

Jeffery Thomas

We are now down to the final two teams in the Western Conference and it will be the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks facing off for a spot in the NBA Finals. The Warriors’ path started off pretty stress-free, taking out the Denver Nuggets in five games in the first round. They then took on the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round, beating them in six games but was a lot more eventful. It was tied at 1-1 after two tight games in Memphis and then in Game 3 the Dubs got a blowout win to take the lead in the series for good. That was also the game the Grizz lost Ja Morant and once he was out it was only a matter of time before the Warriors would finish things off. The Mavericks are definitely the surprise of the playoffs so far. 

They took out the Jazz in 6 games which wasn’t too unexpected but then took down the top seeded Phoenix Suns in seven games in the second round. They beat the Suns in their house by 33 points in the deciding game and now are in their first Conference Finals in 11 years. Luka Doncic has been a true superstar in these playoffs and it’s going to take 2001 Allen Iverson type performances to get his team past this juggernaut Warriors team. I think he will have those types of games in this series but Game 1 on the Warriors floor, I have to go with Golden State. The Warriors are the more talented and deeper team that has been off for almost a week and will have much fresher legs. I don’t think this series will be super one-sided, but I do see it starting off that way with Golden State winning in a blowout. 

Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -5 (-110)

Noah Dunlap

We finally get the tip-off of our Western Conference Finals tonight, with the Dallas Mavericks traveling to the Bay to take on the Golden State Warriors, in what should be a tremendously exciting series. The Warriors managed to knock off the Memphis Grizzlies in six games, behind a stellar performance from Klay Thompson in Game 6, with Steph Curry hitting the daggers needed to ice it. The problem they had in that second round series was poor shooting in many of the games, and they are going to have to fix that if they want to have a chance against a  Dallas Mavericks team that has gotten hot since Game 3 of their second round upset of the Phoenix Suns. The other question for Golden State in this one is going to be whether they can continue the tremendous rebounding they showed against Memphis, which was one of the biggest surprises that came out of that series. 

For Dallas, obviously everything starts with Luka, but he is also going to have to get some help along the way, because against the kind of offense that Golden State is going to throw at them, I’m not sure that he’s going to be able to get it done himself. Whether it’s Dorian Finney-Smith or Jaylen Brunson, they are going to have to put together a good performance, and they’re also going to need Maxi Kleber to keep up his three-point barrage that he’s been on in this postseason. If they can get a typical Luka performance, and have at least one other guy step up, I think they have a chance, but in this Game 1, on the road in the Bay, I think the Warriors get a narrow victory. Expect it to be close, but take the Dubs by 6-8. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -5 (-110)

Tony Battalio

The Dallas Mavericks scored a huge upset in Round 2 over the defending Western Conference champions, the Phoenix Suns. Not only did they win game seven, they absolutely dominated it as they went into halftime holding the Suns to 27 total points, which was the same amount that Luka Doncic had scored. Now they will be looking to get back to the NBA Finals for the first time in over a decade. 

The Golden State Warriors will be looking to add another ring to their already impressive dynasty. They haven’t been back to the NBA Finals since 2019 where they lost the Toronto Raptors. It has been a long three years for a team that was going to four consecutive finals at one point. Now that their core is finally healthy, they are geared up to get into the NBA Finals. As for the result of Game 1, I am going with the Golden State Warriors to get the win. 

Tony’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-210)

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.

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