Best bets, player props to consider for Warriors-Raptors Game 1

The NBA Finals will tip off Thursday as the Golden State Warriors meet the Toronto Raptors for the opening game of the series. Below, we go over the best bets and player props to consider for Game 1.

Line: Raptors -1.5
Total: 213.5

Kevin Durant is a valuable loss for the Warriors, but they've been just fine without him, winning 31 of their 32 games when he doesn't play but Steph Curry suits up. Another positive angle is that Golden State under head coach Steve Kerr has gone 18-1 straight up in Game 1s of any playoff series.

In terms of the line, the Raptors had held steady at -1 for the majority of the week before ticking up to -1.5 in some shops. They've covered their last four games overall, four of their previous five at Scotiabank Arena, and took both regular-season matchups against the Warriors. But despite laying chalk in the opener, Toronto is a pretty hefty underdog for the series - right around +250 in most places.

Golden State scraped by without Durant in the previous round against a lesser foe in Portland. Toronto, however, is a different animal, especially defensively, where Kawhi Leonard won't be occupied with guarding KD - at least in Game 1.

It should be a raucous environment on Thursday, though it won't be anything the two-time defending champion Warriors haven't seen. It'll be up to the Raptors to get past the early-game jitters in front of their home crowd.

Finally, as pretentious as it sounds, Golden State won't be fazed by the prospect of losing Game 1. As heavy favorites in the series, they won't be desperate, whereas Toronto will certainly be hungry. There might be no better time to back the Raptors than in the opener.

Steph Curry Over/Under 31.5 points

Curry's been on an absolute tear since Durant went down with an injury in the second round, scoring at least 33 points in each of his last five games after doing so just once in the first 11 of the postseason. However, he's been held to 30 points or fewer in each of his last four meetings against the Raptors, averaging 23 per contest over that span.

Draymond Green to record a double-double

Green has benefited from the absence of Durant on the scoresheet. The Warriors' do-it-all forward has posted four consecutive double-doubles, and he's also recorded one in five of his last six road playoff games.

Danny Green Over/Under 13.5 points

After scoring in double figures three times during a second-round series that went the distance against the Philadelphia 76ers, Green went ice-cold in the East finals. The veteran sharpshooter, who converted 45.5 percent of his 3-point attempts during the regular season, missed 14 of his final 15 attempts against the Milwaukee Bucks. Green has also scored less than 14 points in eight straight games, and he was held to single digits in all five postseason contests against the Dubs last year while playing for the San Antonio Spurs.

Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.