Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics Game 6 Betting Preview
The Golden State Warriors need one win in the next two games to claim their fourth title in the last eight seasons as they hold a 3-2 edge in the NBA Finals. That puts the Boston Celtics with their backs against the wall, and normally being at home would be an edge, but the C’s are just 6-5 at TD Garden this postseason.
Boston is a -3.5 favorite in Thursday night’s matchup despite Golden State winning the last two games in this series. Golden State was a +4 point underdog in Game 4 in Boston, coming away with a 107-97 win, but the Celtics did defend their home court with a 116-100 win in Game 3.
Golden State Can’t Shoot Any Worse
Monday’s 104-94 loss has to be especially gut-wrenching for Boston because you don’t catch Golden State as cold as they were that often.
Steph Curry was 0-9 from beyond the arc, breaking a streak of 132 straight playoff games with a three-pointer. As a team, the Warriors were 9-40 (22%) from three and still won by double digits.
Klay Thompson had 21 points to pick up some of the slack from a struggling Curry, but it was Andrew Wiggins who continued his surge towards an NBA Finals MVP with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Wiggins had 16 rebounds in Game 4 and is now averaging 18.4 points and 9.1 rebounds for the series.
What More Can Boston Do?
The Celtics come into Game 6 a little demoralized as they thought they had a good chance to steal one in the Bay as they did in the 120-108 win in Game 1. The loss on Monday dropped Boston’s road record in the 2022 playoffs to 8-4, which is still pretty impressive.
The Boston defense held Curry in check in Game 5 and still ended up losing. They are down 3-2 in the series despite Jayson Tatum going for 27 points and ten rebounds while Marcus Smart added 20. The Celtics have to be wondering what more they can do to pick up the W?
Jaylen Brown had only 18 points in Game 5 and was 0-5 from three-point range, so a little better output from him could be key on Thursday night. Brown has averaged 24 ppg in the two games at TD Garden this series, so his production should be up a bit in this matchup.
Warriors/Celtics Betting Prediction
The NBA would love to see a Game 7 on Sunday night in primetime, and Golden State would probably love to celebrate on their home court (if they win). Is that enough to put on the tin foil hat and say the Celtics snag one here?
Boston is a dangerous team in front of their own unruly fans, but that’s also the type of atmosphere that Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green love to play in. The Celtics have all the pressure here with Golden State knowing they go back home regardless, and a carefree Warriors team is a dangerous one.
Pick: Warriors +4
