Fade Steph Curry’s Points Prop in Game 1 with Marcus Smart Defending Him

There has been a lot more talk about defense during this season’s NBA Playoffs than I have seen in a few years. Jimmy Butler got a lot of praise for his work against the Philadelphia 76s and Marcus Smart did an amazing job against both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant in the first two rounds. And while I was very impressed with Butler, I want to focus on Smart for his piece. 

Smart will have his hands full again in the NBA Finals with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. If things go the way they have in the past, the Warriors are going to have a tough time putting up big numbers on offense. This is especially true for Curry, who has terrible numbers against Smart. These numbers aren’t just from this year or last. Smart has had Curry’s number for the last five years and counting. 

Steph Curry vs. Marcus Smart

Just how bad has Curry been when shadowed by Smart? Well, over the last five years, Curry is averaging 37 percent from the field and 30 percent from downtown. For reference, Curry is a career 47.3 percent shooter and 42.8 from behind the arc. The result of all this effort from Smart is Curry’s total of 30 points, three assists, and seven turnovers in six games. 

So, does this warrant a fade on one of the best shooters the game has ever seen? I certainly think for Game 1, I would avoid Curry and see how things play out. According to WynnBET Sportsbook, Curry currently has the second-highest points total for this game behind Jayson Tatum at 27.5. He hasn’t gone over this total in the last two games and will be facing a much more difficult defense in the Finals. 

Some have pointed out that Curry had a very good game against the Celtics back in December with 30 points. However, he shot well below 40 percent and still coughed up six turnovers. Curry took 35 shots in that game and was helped a lot by going 9-9 at the charity stripe. 

None of this is to say that Curry is a bad player or won't lead his team to another NBA Championship. But, I think there are better bets to make tonight than Curry to go over his point total in Game 1.

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE