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The Golden State Warriors have hit a bump in the road recently as they adjust to life without star power forward Kevin Durant. They hope to get back on track this week in a big-time clash with the Boston Celtics.
Golden State has the best record in the NBA but clearly isn’t as potent without Durant, who will miss several weeks due to injury. However, this is still one of the most dominant rosters in the league without him, and the added bonus of home court advantage makes it clear that the Warriors will be the favorites in this one.
The Celtics were upset earlier this week by the Suns and would love to pull out a win as an underdog themselves in this one.
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Odds Analysis
The Warriors are 51-11 straight up and 28-32-2 against the spread. Golden State has lost two of their last three games and have failed to cover in any of them as they adjust to the absence of Durant. The Warriors have been solid against the spread at home this season with a record of 15-13-1. Golden State has been favored in every game this season.
Boston is 40-23 straight up and 33-29-1 against the spread. The Celtics have played well on the road this season with a record of 21-11-1 against the spread. Boston is 9-8-1 against the spread as the underdog.
Injury Report
Durant sprained his knee against the Wizards on February 28, a game the team lost by four points. The Warriors next played the Bulls and lost that game as well, a rare losing streak for the best team in the NBA.
Golden State set an NBA record with 73 wins last season without Durant so obviously there is plenty of firepower to be fine, but it’s hard to make a change on the fly.
Durant was averaging 25.3 points and 8.2 rebounds on the season and he is expected to miss about a month in total with the injury. Look for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to increase their usage.
Curry is averaging 24.8 points and 6.3 assists per game this season while Thompson is adding 21.8 points while shooting 40.7 percent from three-point range.
Scheduling Situation
The Warriors are in the midst of seven games on the road in eight days, with this one the only home date. So even though Golden State is at home, which is of course a bonus, it will have to hit the road again immediately afterward.
The Warriors will be coming off a five-game road trip, including back-to-back games within the previous three days. Golden State has an elite offense but it relies on jump-shooting.
If the Warriors are fatigued at all in this one, that could be a concern. The season is long and Golden State has been traveling a lot lately. While the scheduling situation isn’t enough to consider the Warriors on upset alert, it is enough that the Celtics have to seriously be looked at to cover the spread when it comes in.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Celtics have been solid this season, sitting at the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference behind only the Cleveland Cavaliers. Isaiah Thomas has had a phenomenal season, averaging 29.4 points and 6.2 assists per game.
However, they won’t have the firepower to keep up with the Warriors, who possess the best backcourt in the NBA with Curry and Thompson. This should be an entertaining run-and-gun affair, so expect lots of points when it comes to the scoring total.
The Warriors may be pretty big favorites and could still cover.
NBA Odds: Warriors 122, Celtics 109
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