Handing the Boston Celtics consecutive losses for the first time this postseason has the Golden State Warriors on the verge of their fourth NBA world title in eight seasons. The Warriors can hoist the O’Brien Trophy on the fabled parquet floor with a win on Thursday in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The Dubs seized control with a 104-94 win on Monday night, the second straight game decided by exactly 10 points. Those games were the closest in the series so far with the first three matchups decided by at least 12 points. The closing line in each game settled between 3.5 and 4.5 points with the home team favored. And we’re right there again with the Celtics hitting the board laying 3.5-points ahead of Game 6.
Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics will air live on ABC with tip off at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 16, 2022 from TD Garden. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game of the NBA Finals.
NBA Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Golden State Warriors +3.5
Boston Celtics -3.5
Total 210
Playoff Analysis
While Boston dropped two straight playoff games for the first time, the Warriors have yet to lose back-to-backers and there’s a good chance that doesn’t happen with only two games potentially remaining. If the Warriors do lose two straight we know what that means. If it can happen to Boston the script can be flipped. The Dubs might have an answer, though, and it comes in the form of Stephen Curry. For the first time in 233 regular and postseason games, Curry was held without a three-pointer missing all nine attempts. And the Warriors still prevailed by 10 points thanks to their underrated defense. Applying relentless pressure, the Dubs forced 18 turnovers and held Boston to 41 percent shooting. The Warriors had issues of their own making only 9 of 40 triples as the teams played below the total for the second straight game and third in the past four.
Both teams have struggled to score the basketball, but the Celtics have been erratic on offense. They shot 51 percent making 21 of 41 threes in Game and they shot 48 percent in Game 3. They averaged 118 points in those games cashing the OVER both times. It’s been a different story in their three losses, though. They combined to shoot under 40 percent overall and 38.3 percent from behind the arc while averaging 17 turnovers. They failed to score 100 points in any of those games averaging just 93 points while cashing the UNDER each time. So, what Celtics team shows up on Thursday? If it’s the one that scores, Jayson Tatum will likely play a big role. He dropped 27 in Game 5 but has yet to establish a dominant offensive presence like we know he can. And I expect he’ll have a say in sending this series to the limit.
Golden State Warriors
Curry did little and the Warriors shot just 22 percent from behind the arc yet they still won Game 5 by 10 points. That tells us a bit about their depth. Andrew Wiggins had a big game scoring 26 points with 13 rebounds while Gary Payton II and Jordan Poole combined for 29 points on 10 of 16 shooting. And Klay Thompson emerged from a slump hitting 7 of 14 shots with five triples.
The Warriors have been more consistent on offense averaging 105.2 points while not scoring more than 108. It’s been their defense that’s done the trick twice forcing 18 turnovers and effectively taking Tatum out of the offense. One more time and the Warriors are back on the throne.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics have bounced back before and I fully expect they’ll do it again on Thursday. You don’t put a stretch together like they did since the end of January and go out with a whimper. And they’ve come up with big games this postseason rallying from a 3-2 series deficit to knock off the defending champs and winning Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final on the road. So their situation isn’t going to faze them.
They will, however, need a more consistent performance on offense. They struggled shooting in the first half of Game 5 only to rally with a big third quarter to take the lead. They then let that slip away in the fourth quarter. They’ve rarely had Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart playing good ball at the same time this series and when that happens it’ll be something. Hopefully for Boston fans that time is Thursday.
Warriors at Celtics NBA Odds Pick
Can we get a game decided by single digits before the series ends? Though they lost Game 5 there were some good things. The Celtics held Curry without a triple and allowed just nine for the game. The turnovers played a role and as long as they value the basketball the Celtics should be able to extend the series.
NBA Odds Prediction: Boston Celtics -3.5 / OVER 210
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