Golden State (1-1) at Boston (1-1)
When: Wednesday, June 8th 2022
Where: TD Garden,
Boston, MA
Time: 9:00 ET | TV: ABC
Opening Odds: Boston -3.5/213
We haven’t had a ton of drama this NBA postseason, but the Finals are shaping up to be a back-and-forth affair. The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors enter Game 3 all tied up at a game apiece as the series shifts back to the East coast on Wednesday night. Golden State used a hug third quarter on Sunday to turn a two-point halftime lead into a route in the 107-88 victory. The Warriors outscored Boston 35-14 in the third quarter and shot 45.3 percent for the game, while holding the C’s to just 37.5 percent. Both teams were 15-of-37 from 3-point territory. Boston committed 19 turnovers while Golden State racked up 15 steals with Steph Curry, Kevon Looney and Otto Porter Jr. recording three apiece. Curry scored 14 points in the third quarter with eight of them coming during a 16-4 burst that saw Golden State open up a 68-56 lead with 6:47 left in the third quarter.
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Golden State has struggled against the Celtics’ defense over the last couple of years, resulting in a 2-7 straight-up record. They are just 1-5 against the spread in their last six road games and 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven versus Boston. The total has gone Over in four of the Warriors’ last six games. Meanwhile, Boston has owned the Western Conference of late, winning eight of their last nine games against them. They are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games overall and 5-1 ATS in their last six against Pacific Division opponents. Boston also bounces back well. The Celtics are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 following a loss. Game 4 will be Friday night in Boston.
Not only did Golden State put the game away in the third quarter, but they scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to take any chances Boston might have had to make a comeback like they did in Game 1. Curry finished with a game-high 29 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jordan Poole added 17 points, Kevon Looney put up 12 points on 6-for-6 shooting and Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins each had 11 points. Andre Iguodala is questionable for Game 3 after playing 12 minutes in Game 1 and missing Game 2 because of inflammation in his right knee. The Warriors are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games.
Jayson Tatum scored 21 points in the first half of Game 2, but only ended with 28 and was a -36 – a team-worst. Jaylen Brown chipped in 17 points, but he struggled with 5-of-17 shooting. Derrick White added 12 points, but he was the only other Boston player to score more than six points, as three starters had exactly two points apiece. The Celtics were outscored 21-6 on three’s in the decisive third quarter and committed five turnovers that resulted in 11 points for Golden State. The status of Robert Williams III is up in the air after he played just 14 minutes in Game 2. He finished with just two points and will likely be a game time decision.
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Despite getting blown-out in Game 2, I still think Boston is the better team mainly because of their defense. I think the Golden State role players will have a tough time in the Garden atmosphere and the Celtics will win and cover. I expect a big game from Tatum.
Check out who Bobby Babowski has on his Free NBA Picks page for today.
Pick: Celtics -3.5
