Warriors vs. Celtics Point Spread: NBA Odds, Prediction
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Andrew Rogers
The Boston Celtics are finally looking like a team expected to challenge for the Eastern Conference championship – but the true measuring stick of their progress comes Saturday night, as they host the sizzling Golden State Warriors in one of the biggest matchups of the season. The Celtics come in having won five straight games to move within striking distance of a top-three post in the East. But the Warriors have won nine in a row, and look unbeatable.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Oddsmakers have been fully on board with the Warriors’ hot stretch, making them favourites of seven or more points in seven of their previous nine games. And they’ve still been a strong cover play in that span, going 5-3-1 against the spread (ATS). They’re also 3-1 ATS in their past four as a road fave. But Golden State has just one cover in the last eight meetings between the teams, while the underdog is an incredible 26-8-1 ATS in the past 35 encounters.
Sky-high totals haven’t fazed the Warriors, who are 9-2 O/U in their past 11 games despite the number surpassing 230 on seven occasions in that stretch. But the previous five meetings between Golden State and Boston have finished below the total; not only that, but no team has scored more than 109 points in any of those contests. And the Celtics have a streak of five consecutive unders against teams with winning SU records.
Golden State Warriors
DeMarcus Cousins was widely expected to bolster an already star-studded Golden State lineup in his return from a serious leg injury – and the perennial All-Star big man hasn’t disappointed. Cousins, who signed with the Warriors in the offseason, is averaging 13 points, seven rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games despite playing just 20.3 minutes per game over that stretch. He also has two steals and one block in his three-game stint with the Warriors.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics’ current hot stretch has coincided with some of Kyrie Irving’s best basketball of the season. The electrifying Celtics point guard is averaging 24.9 points and 7.9 assists so far in January while shooting 55.8 percent from the field for the month – the highest success rate of any month in his career. He’s a significant factor in Boston shooting 48.2 percent as a team in January, the seventh-highest rate in the NBA.
