Durant or no Durant, the Warriors have already proven then can not only win games without him, but titles. So I'm not all that worried about his absence. Plus, the Warriors have been off the last few days and afforded a chance to rest. I always lean toward rested home teams in the first game of a playoff series.

The Warriors are 18-28-1 ATS at home this season, including 2-4 ATS in the playoffs. They're also 8-14 ATS when laying between 6 and 9. Coming off their emotional win over Houston, this is an obvious letdown spot. Play on the hungry underdog to at least keep it respectable.

The Trail Blazers are on a pretty fast turnaround from their taxing Game 7 road win at Denver on Sunday in which they overcame a double-figure deficit. Golden State is relieved that it got rid of persistent nemesis Houston without the series going the distance, and the Warriors know they can play effectively without Kevin Durant. Even shorthanded, they have the advantage over a Portland team that relies on a guard-heavy attack. A suspected letdown spot for the Blazers spells a Game 1 blowout by Golden State.

Consecutive victories by the Warriors ended the Rockets' chances to take advantage of the Warriors minus Kevin Durant. Portland took advantage of a young Nuggets team that appeared to more talented but lacked the experience to put a game away. That’s where the Warriors' advantage comes into play and should be worthy of backing in Game 1. Grab Golden State.

Lots of shots are expected at a fast pace for the entirety of the Western Conference Finals. Surges are going to happen frequently but both teams are also susceptible to cold spells. Expect the Warriors to continue to figure out their flow of offense minus Kevin Durant and for the Blazers to show a bit of rust from a seven-game series. Grab the under.

There's no Kevin Durant for the Warriors, and it's likely that Rodney Hood will be out for the Blazers, which means the guards for both teams are going to be firing away a bit more than usual. Steph Curry reclaimed his team without Durant in Game 6 against the Rockets, but I'm thinking there might be more effects of not having Durant in this game. These two teams split during the regular season, 2-2, with a win on each other's home court. I'm looking for the Blazers to carry momentum from the Game 7 road win into tonight. I took the points with the Blazers.

After both teams pulled off huge road victories to win their respective series, the Warriors and Blazers will now face each other Tuesday in what should be an exciting battle between two excellent guard duos. With Kevin Durant (calf) still out for Game 1, the Trail Blazers need to take advantage by winning one on the road. While I don’t think they will come away victorious, I think this game stays close enough that I like the points.

The Over has hit in six of the Warriors' last eight games, and the Over has hit in six of the Blazers' last eight games, too. The Over hits in more than 60 percent of my simulations for Game 1, as well. In other words, take the Over.