Subscribe
Follow Us
The Boston Celtics will head to Northern California to face the Golden State Warriors. It will be a showdown at Oracle Arena as we continue our NBA odds series and make a Celtics-Warriors prediction and pick.
The Celtics lead the head-t0-head series 210-141. However, the Warriors beat the Celtics 118-112 in Boston on November 6, 2024. The Celtics are 6-4 over the past 10 games against the Warriors, including 3-2 over five games in San Francisco.
Here are the Celtics-Warriors NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Celtics-Warriors Odds
Boston Celtics: -7.5 (-108)
Moneyline: -300
Golden State Warriors: +7.5 (-112)
Moneyline: +240
Over: 224 (-110)
Under: 224 (-110)
How To Watch Celtics vs. Warriors
Time: 5 PM ET/2 PM PT
TV: TNT and truTV
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Celtics Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Celtics are in a mini-slump, going 3-4 over their last seven games and looking nothing like the defending NBA champions they are. Regardless, they are still one of the best teams in the association, currently clinging to the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
When they played the Warriors earlier this season, they got off to a great start. However, the walls crumbled in the second quarter as an awful showing doomed them. The Celtics bounced back in the third quarter but fell apart again in the fourth quarter.
This is where the Celtics need their stars. Therefore, Jayson Tatum must replicate his efforts from the last battle, as he scored 32 points while shooting 10 for 20. Derrick White added 26 points while shooting 8 for 19, including 7 for 16 from the three-point line. Likewise, Neemias Queta added 14 points while shooting 6 for 11. Likewise, Payton Pritchard had 16 points. Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis did not play in this game.
Those two could help improve the shooting, as the Celtics shot just 42.2 percent from the floor, including 35.2 percent from the triples. Additionally, they lost the board battle 53-47. The defense also blocked just three shots and could not make up for the 12 turnovers the offense committed. Substantially, this defense has proven in the past that they could stop good shooters, and it needs to get back to those fundamentals.
The Celtics will cover the spread if they can shoot the ball better and avoid the second-quarter collapse. Then, they must win the board battle to avoid giving the Warriors extra chances.
Why the Warriors Could Cover the Spread/Win
Stephen Curry owned the Celtics in their last battle, scoring 27 points and leading the Warriors to victory. Amazingly, he now averages 25.3 points per game against the Celtics in Boston, which is the most by a point guard over a career, according to StatMamba on X, formerly known as Twitter. Curry has slightly worse numbers against the Warriors at home, averaging 23.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.5 rebounds over 13 career games against them at Oracle.
While all eyes will be on Curry, other weapons in this starting lineup can do some damage. Andrew Wiggins did well in the last showdown, scoring 16 points. Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson scored 16 and 11 points off the bench, respectively. Remarkably, the bench combined for 49 points.
The ability to turn the game on its head was a talent the Warriors exhibited in the last game. Significantly, it will be even more critical in this game, especially if both Brown and Porzingis play. The Celtics are a talented team with a lot of depth, so winning the small battles means a lot for the Warriors.
Winning the board battle against a team that usually wins them also played a significant part in the win. Ultimately, winning the board battle gave them some extra chances, with 15 offensive rebounds. The Warriors also delivered on defense with six steals and five blocked shots.
The Warriors will cover the spread if Curry and the starters can continue to shoot the ball well and the bench can step it up once more. Then, the defense must contain Tatum and the explosive offense.
Final Celtics-Warriors Prediction & Pick
The Celtics are 16-25-1 against the spread, while the Warriors are 19-21-1 against the odds. Moreover, the Celtics are 8-10-1 against the spread on the road, while the Warriors are 9-12 against the odds at home. The Celtics are 3-6-1 against the spread when facing the Western Conference, while the Warriors are 4-8-1 against the spread when facing the Eastern Conference.
Assuming the Celtics have all their starters back, I can see them going into San Francisco and flipping the script. While the Warriors have shown some guile against the Celtics, beating them twice in one season is tough. Regardless, I see the Warriors keeping this one competitive, even if they fall short.
Final Celtics-Warriors Prediction & Pick: Golden State Warriors: +7.5 (-112)
