Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics Prediction, NBA Odds
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Edgar Chaput
The Golden State Warriors are catching fire at the right time. Thick in the middle of a fight for playoff positioning in the Western Conference, Steve Kerr’s unit is playing sensational basketball. Their trip to Toronto on Friday went splendidly with a cool 120-105 win. Speaking of playing lights out, how about the Boston Celtics? They’re an unbelievable 28-3 at home, with the latest success also coming on Friday, a 138-110 destruction of the Dallas Mavericks.
The NBA odds heavily favour the host Celtics, pegging them at -10.5.
Warriors vs. Celtics NBA Betting Odds
Fans of both sides recollect the 2022 NBA Finals when the franchises met. Golden State took the series 4-2, winning its fourth championship in eight years. It also prevented the Jayson Tatum-Jalen Brown generation of the Celtics from finally cashing in on all that promise, at least for now. The Warriors have a knack for playing their Massachusetts-based foes well, even apart from those 2022 Finals. They’ve won two of three regular season meetings since then and the only loss, in Boston, went to overtime.
One begins to wonder if the questions surrounding Golden State’s ability to make a run this season should be laid to rest. Sunday will be a huge test, no question about it. Even so, the club is 8-2 in its last 10 games and playing mighty fine. Stephen Curry on a roll is not something most NBA defences are capable of handling. Things look brighter against the spread as well, with Golden State having covered three in a row and six of eight. By the way, they’re a perfect 3-0 on their current travels.
Boston is destroying opponents with such emphasis lately that they’ve started covering spreads more regularly. The Celtics have handled five consecutive spreads and even the game before that was a push, not a loss. Looking at the “last 10 games” column one will see a glorious 10-0 tally. We’ve already mentioned the resplendent 28-3 record when they play in front of their fans. What could go wrong? Well, the Warriors, for one thing. Boston had a huge lead against the Warriors when they met in San Francisco in December and still lost.
Golden State Warriors
Friday night was a bitter pill for Raptors fans to swallow but business as it used to be for Warriors fans.
The 120-105 final suggests the Golden State-Toronto game wasn’t much of a contest, but there was a key moment that may have turned the tide. Scottie Barnes left the game in the second quarter with what turned out to be a broken finger. The Raptors had been playing the Warriors very tough, but that personnel loss seemed to break the camel’s back. Golden State erupted from that point onward. Curry had a game-high 25 points, and Jonathan Kuminga terrorized Toronto to the tune of 24 points. Chris Paul came back from injury has scored a decent 13 off the bench.
Brandin Podziemski is currently listed as day-to-day.
Boston Celtics
This is a season in which anything less than a championship can justifiably be viewed as a disappointment in Boston. When games like Friday’s 138-110 win over the Mavericks happen, it’s hard to argue otherwise.
Billed as a marquee matchup, the Celtics demonstrated that even the Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving combo can’t stop them on a given night. Doncic had a triple-double and it didn’t matter. The Celtics pounded the Mavs with 21 three-pointers, good for 48.8 per cent efficiency. Defensively Boston played rather well, but Dallas also missed good chances. Three starters surpassed 20 points: Kristaps Porzingis (24), Jalen Brown (25), and Jayson Tatum (32). Al Horford only went for 12 points, but his defensive prowess resulted in a key +21 differential.
Sunday’s game is big for both teams. Golden State needs more wins and Boston will want to see if it can slay a ghost from its past.
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BOS