It’s possible the NBA gets its Finals preview on Saturday night. The East-leading Boston Celtics will travel to face off with the defending champion Golden State Warriors in one of the most intriguing games of the season.
Golden State once again has the best record in the NBA and is looking nearly unstoppable. There are only a few select teams that may be able to give them a scare, and the Celtics hope to prove they are one of them. With the Cleveland Cavaliers struggling, the East is up for grabs and Boston may be the team to beat.
They could really bolster their resume in a win against the Warriors, but it won’t be easy as Golden State should be a solid favorite.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, January 27, 2018, at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Oracle Arena. The game will be televised live on ABC.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Celtics are 35-14 straight up and 28-19-2 against the spread. They have covered in an impressive 15 of 23 games away from home and will aim to keep on that path. Boston has only been the underdog in nine games this season and has covered in eight of those. The Celtics’ success as an underdog should be considered when placing a wager on this game.
The Warriors are 38-10 straight up and 21-26-1 against the spread. Golden State has gone 9-13-1 against the spread at home on the year. The Warriors have been favored in every game they have played this season.
Player To Watch
Kyrie Irving -- The Warriors have four All-Stars in their starting lineup and are really hard to slow down when they are on offense, so the Celtics will likely need to score a lot of points to keep up. Irving contributed greatly to Cleveland’s upset of the Warriors in the finals a couple of years ago but wanted out in order to have more control as the go-to guy on his own team.
Irving is getting that chance and can really prove he made the right decision by winning a game like this as the star. Irving is averaging 24.5 points, 5.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds per contest for the Celtics.
Boston was a good team last year with Isaiah Thomas running the show but has taken another step forward behind Irving. Many questioned his decision to ask out of Cleveland but it has worked out thus far. The Celtics are looking like one of the better teams in the NBA and Irving would love to put together a big performance here.
Key Stat
115.9. That’s the number of points per game the Warriors are averaging, which is tops in the NBA. It is no surprise as they have been the dominant team in the league for the past several seasons.
Stephen Curry is leading the way with 27.6 points per game while Kevin Durant is adding 25.9 and Klay Thompson is pitching in with 20.4 points. All three are headed to the All-Star game and they will be joined by do-everything forward Draymond Green.
The Celtics have raced out to the top seed in the East on the strength of their defense, which is allowing only 98.3 points per game, but it’s a different animal trying to slow down this Warriors team.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Boston will try to slow the pace when it can, but it won’t be often enough. The Warriors have the type of obscene talent on offense to overcome even the stingiest of defenses.
Golden State might not roll to the win, but it has too many players capable of both hitting from long range and creating in the lane to be thwarted. Take the Warriors to come away with a convincing win in this one, possibly covering the spread in addition to the signature home victory against a tough opponent.
NBA Odds: Warriors 109, Celtics 98
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