Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics Game 4 Betting Preview
Injuries will be the focal point as the NBA Finals continue on Friday night. The Boston Celtics are up 2-1 in the series following their 116-100 win at TD Garden on Wednesday night, but in the process, leading scorer Jayson Tatum reaggravated a shoulder injury that he suffered last round vs. Miami.
While Tatum will likely play through the pain in Game 4, the Golden State Warriors don’t know if they’ll be so lucky with their star. Stephen Curry had his foot stepped on in Wednesday’s loss, missing the last two minutes of the game. The Celtics are -4 point favorites as they aim for the commanding lead and close in on world championship number 18.
Curry Listed as Probable
There were two days off between both Game 1 and 2 as well as Game 2 and 3, and the Warriors could have used some extra time to rehab Curry a bit. The sharpshooter will likely play because this is the Finals, but how effective will he be after going for 31 on Wednesday and averaging 31.3 ppg in the series.
The alternating wins and losses trend does favor the Warriors here, and Klay Thompson did have his best game of the Finals on Wednesday with 25 points. Golden State could use a bit more from Jordan Poole, who followed up his 17 points in the Game 2 win with just 10 in Game 3 – but Boston also has a stellar backcourt defense.
What really hurt Golden State in the Game 3 loss was a very poor fourth quarter when the TD Garden crowd really ramped things up. The Celtics outscored the Warriors 23-11 in that frame, with Golden State shooting just 1-9 from three-point range.
Boston Home Woes Put to Rest?
The way the Celtics have made the Finals is by going 8-3 on the road this postseason. On the flip side, though, they are just 6-4 at TD Garden, so Wednesday’s win was optimistic in those regards.
Tatum appears to have his obligatory bad game of the series out of the way, averaging 27 ppg the last two after going for just 12 in the series opener. Tatum was held to 10 points in Game 3 against Milwaukee and Game 3 against the Heat but has averaged 26.3 ppg this postseason.
While Tatum’s shoulder is definitely a concern, Boston showed some nice depth on Wednesday, with Jaylen Brown going for 27 points and Marcus Smart adding 24. That’s similar production to Game 1, where Al Horford had 26 points and Derrick White 21.
Warriors vs. Celtics Betting Prediction
Is Boston out of the woods in terms of some struggles at home this postseason? They did a great job of closing things out in the 4th quarter in Game 3, but the Warriors also have a game under their belt to adjust to the atmosphere of TD Garden.
This is a series-shifting game, with Golden State taking back home-court advantage with a win but Boston getting a commanding 3-1 edge if they come out on top. These two squads seem like they’re going to flip-flop wins and losses, so the Warriors are up.
Pick: Warriors +4
