Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics Game 3 Betting Preview

The Boston Celtics didn’t leave the Bay Area with a 2-0 NBA Finals lead, but they did steal home-court advantage as the series shifts back to TD Garden. The C’s took Game 1 120-108 before the Golden State Warriors were able to even things up Sunday with a 107-88 victory.
Golden State was a -3.5 and a -4.5 favorite in Games 1 and 2, respectively, and oddsmakers are once again rewarding home court by setting Boston at -3.5 on Wednesday. Game 1 soared over the 214.5 total, and Game 2 fell well under 213.5, so Game 3’s 212.5 O/U could really go either way, it seems.
Road Gig
Golden State suffered their first home loss of the postseason in Game 1, but they’ve got a great chance of getting at least a split over the next two games in Boston. The Celtics have been remarkable in winning eight of their last ten road games this postseason, but at the same time, have lost four of their last seven at TD Garden.
We will see if the Warriors’ shooting prowess from Sunday travels, as Golden State used a dominant 35-14 third-quarter advantage to put away a game that was 52-50 at the half.
Steph Curry went for 29 points in Game 2 while Jordan Poole hit 5-9 three-pointers off the bench. Klay Thompson struggled again (4-19) and is now just 10-33 shooting this series. Andrew Wiggins is averaging 15.5 ppg in the Finals.
Protect Home Court
It seems like every time the Celtics pick up a huge road one in this postseason, it ends up being emotionally deflating, and they subsequently drop a game back at home. They lost the home-court advantage with losses at TD Garden in Games 1 and 5 in the semifinals and failed to close out Miami in Boston in the conference finals.
Jayson Tatum shot just 3-17 in Game 1, but Boston is hopeful he’s gotten his obligatory bad game of the series out of his system. Tatum had just 10 points in Game 3 vs. Milwaukee and 10 points in Game 3 against the Heat but has scored at least 21 in every other game this postseason.
Tatum had 28 points in Game 2, including 21 in the first half. Al Horford had a strange game going just 1-4 from the floor after scoring 28 in Game 1, while Jaylen Brown aims to get his shooting back on track back at home after he was just 5-17 shooting on Sunday night.
Warriors/Celtics Betting Prediction
It’s weird to say, but the Celtics cannot be trusted at home lately. Golden State seems almost guaranteed to get the split in their visit to Boston and go back to the Chase Center with home-court advantage, but does it come in Game 3 or 4?
Oddsmakers have released a very similar line to the first two games of the series, only this time in Boston’s favor. The Celtics would be a solid play on the alternating wins and losses trend, although Golden State has value due to Boston’s struggles at home the last couple rounds of the playoffs.
The Warriors probably take Game 4 once they adjust to the TD Garden crowd, but Game 3 should go Boston’s way as they’re starting to hear the chirping about their home playoff struggles.