We're set to conclude our NBA betting predictions and picks with this final cross-conference showdown from the Bay Area. The Boston Celtics (35-19) will visit the Golden State Warriors (26-26) as the two sides open their two-game season series. Check our NBA odds series for the Celtics-Warriors prediction and pick.
The Boston Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference, lastly beating the Chicago Bulls 124-105 prior to the All-Star break. They closed the first half of the season by winning nine of their last 12 games, hoping to extend their success against a short-handed Warriors squad.
The Golden State Warriors are eighth in the Western Conference, falling to the San Antonio Spurs 126-113 prior to ASW. They're just 4-6 in their last 10 games and will be without Steph Curry temporarily, so the next few games will be about preserving their record above .500.
NBA odds courtesy of DraftKings
Celtics vs. Warriors Odds
Boston Celtics: -5.5 (-112)
Golden State Warriors: +5.5 (-108)
Over: 211.5 (-112)
Under: 211.5 (-108)
Celtics vs. Warriors Key Injuries
Boston: Jayson Tatum (achilles – OUT)
Golden State: Kristaps Porzingis (achilles – Questionable) / Jimmy Butler III (knee – OUT) / Seth Curry (sciatic nerve – OUT) / Stephen Curry (knee – OUT)
Celtics vs. Warriors Betting Trends
- The Golden State Warriors are 18-10 at home. The Boston Celtics are 17-10 on the road.
- The Celtics are 27-12 as betting favorites. The Warriors have gone 6-10 as the underdogs.
- The Warriors are 25-30 ATS overall, 14-14 ATS at home. The Celtics are 30-24 ATS overall, 17-10 ATS on the road.
- The Warriors are 6-4 outright, 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against the Celtics.
- The total has gone UNDER in seven of the last 10 games between these two teams.
- The Celtics are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games.
- The Warriors are 1-5 ATS in their last six games.
- The total has gone UNDER in nine of Boston's last 10 games.
- The Warriors are 0-5 ATS in their last five games at home.
Keys to Celtics vs. Warriors Matchup
The Celtics are clearly the better team from everything we've seen this season and with the Warriors missing Stephen Curry for this one, it's surprising to see such a short betting line in Boston's advantage. The Celtics have also done a solid job covering the spread and given Jaylen Brown's motivation for the back half of the season, they should be eager to come out of the All-Star break ready to continue winning.
The Warriors are happy to hear the latest reports of Stephen Curry's knee MRI coming back as negative, but they'll give him some time to rest in ensuring no further damage is done. They'll need every bit of a healthy Curry if they want to be competitive come playoff time, so there's no harm in continuing to let Brandin Podziemski see valuable minutes as the starting point guard. His 12.0 PPG is a nice adage to Pat Spencer's 3.2 APG mark, so expect the two guards to continue building their rapport with Curry out.
Still, defenses haven't been able to do much in stopping the Boston Celtics this season as they rank second with 42.4 average attempted threes per game, second only to the Golden State Warriors. The Celtics are slightly more efficient from byond the arc at 36.3% on the season, but Golden State's numbers will clearly take a dip with curry out.
Both Derrick White and Payton Pritchard will continue to have significant roles alongside Brown in the absence of Tatum, both proving that they can make important shots when given the green light. De'Anthony Melton and Moses Moody have been similar spark plugs for the Warriors, so expect an active effort out of both of them as well.
Celtics vs. Warriors Prediction and Pick
The Boston Celtics are riding with much more momentum ahead of this game and the Warriors will certainly be feeling the loss of Stephen Curry, While Pat Spencer and Brandin Podziemski should be solid in filling in from game to game, it may not be enough to overcome the all-around scoring effort from the Celtics and their bench.
Furthermore, Jaylen Brown is on a mission to garner MVP votes and if he's able to replicate what he did in the first half of the season, he'll be an undeniable option for the award come this summer. Expect a big scoring performance out of him as he should be aggressive in getting to the free throw line early.
For our final prediction, we'll confidently roll with the Boston Celtics to cover the spread as it should be wider with Curry out. All in all, this should be a game where the Boston Celtics control from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
Final Celtics-Warriors Prediction & Pick: Boston Celtics -5.5 (-112); OVER 211.5 (-112)
