While the Boston Celtics try to find some consistency this season, the Golden State Warriors just keep winning games. Owners of the best record in the NBA following their win over Indiana on Monday night, the Dubs get a few days off before tangling with the C’s on Friday in the first game of an ESPN doubleheader. Golden State opened the current road trip with a loss in Philly before taking out the Pacers. They have 21 wins through their first 26 games and have yet to lose consecutive games. Boston stopped a three-game losing streak and got back to .500 by downing the Bucks on Monday and will also have an extended period of rest.
The contest between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, December 17, 2021, from TD Garden in Boston, MA and will air live on ESPN. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the Friday NBA schedule.
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Odds Analysis
While they’ve yet to lose back to back games the Warriors are going through a rough patch, at least by their standards. Their loss on Saturday in Philadelphia to open the road trip put them at 3-3 during a six-game spell. They avoided a losing streak with a comeback 102-100 win over the Pacers on Monday night leaving them at 4-3 SU and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games. They’re still a good bet and one of the more profitable teams in the NBA at 17-9-1 ATS. There are times when the Celtics look like a top team in the Association. One of those times was Monday in a 117-103 victory over the defending champs. The only problem is they haven’t come often enough. Boston is 14-14 SU and 15-13 ATS.
Golden State Warriors
If there was any doubt this Warriors team was for real I guess we could put that to rest. This far into the season they have the best record in the league and should only get better with the eminent return of Klay Thompson and James Wiseman. Until then it’s the usual suspects with a few new names sprinkled in. But make no mistake this is Steph Curry’s team. The greatest three-point shooter in NBA history eclipsed the record in his last game and will probably have a Wayne Gretzky-type lead for most three-pointers made by the time his career is over. The numbers are down slightly, but Curry makes his teammates better while still dropping 27 points a night.
Playing on both ends of the floor helps make a complete team and Warriors are doing that. They are third in the league averaging over 112 points per game and they are the best defensive club. The Dubs hold opponents to an average of 100.4 points with the best field goal percentage defense. Opponents make just 42 percent of their shots while hitting 32 percent from deep. The totals have dropped accordingly with the over/under in Monday’s game at 214. They cashed the UNDER in that one and the UNDER is 8-1-1 in their last 10 outings.
Boston Celtics
Following their wasted road trip where they went 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS, the Celtics watched film of opponents knifing uncontested to the basket for easy points. They allowed at least 111 points in every game on the recent 5-game excursion and Ime Udoka wanted the team to see what was causing a lot of the problems. “I had an animated film session of that trip. We didn’t like that feeling and got back to who we are,” the coach said. The defense shined on Monday with the Celtics back home. They held the Bucks to 103 points snapping a three-game slide.
It also helped that Jaylen Brown was back in the lineup. He missed the entire road trip due to a leg injury and posted 19 points. Jayson Tatum was the star, though. Tatum dropped 42 on the Bucks and has scored more than 30 points four times in the last six games. For the first time in a while the Celtics have a full roster and should be competitive when taking the floor on Friday.
NBA Odds Pick
Even during Golden State’s championship seasons the Celtics played them tough, and the Cs take a five-game winning streak in the series into this matchup. The return of Brown and Marcus Smart’s recovery has Boston looking good. They’ll try and build off their win over Milwaukee and will give the Warriors defense problems with Brown and Tatum on the floor again. Boston will be a home dog once the line hits the board and I like them for the outright win with a gritty defensive effort.
NBA Odds Prediction: Celtics 111, Warriors 107
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