Best NBA Prop Bets: Warriors Favored to Take Over Across Props

The best NBA prop bets tell a story for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors return to San Francisco with the momentum and the NBA betting odds on their side.

Stephen Curry leads the way as he continues his torrid assault on the Boston Celtics’ vaunted defense. Now down to a best-of-3, here are a few storylines worth paying attention to with the best NBA prop bets as a guide.

Warriors vs Celtics Game 5 Info

• Matchup: Boston Celtics (51-31) vs. Golden State Warriors (53-29)
• Location: Chase Center
• Time: Monday, 9:00 P.M. ET
• Broadcast: ABC

Warriors to Take Over from the Beginning

The Warriors broke the script in Game 4. Usually, it’s the team leading in the first half that ends up winning the game. First-halves have generally been close in this series with the biggest lead being by five points, which is why the first-half scoring props on the sportsbook are tight. But Golden State has a better balance between scoring and defense.

While Boston, statistically, has the best first-half road defense, their offense leads much to be desired. This is even more conspicuous when Jayson Tatum is shooting under 40 percent for the series. Stephen Curry has been more consistent and if the two cancel each other out, the rest of Golden State could produce more efficiently.

Curry Stays Hot

With a scoring line at 31½ points, the sportsbook firmly expects the NBA Finals favorite to hit close to the 30-point mark again. Who’s to blame? Curry roasted the Celtics in Game 4 by dropping 43 points on 14-of-26 shooting (7-of-14 from 3). With this performance, Curry boosted his scoring average to 34.3 for the NBA Finals. This is double the next man on the team: Klay Thompson at 17.3.

If the Celtics had an antidote from Curry’s flames, they have yet to come up with it. This is a Celtics team that held the likes of Kevin Durant, Jrue Holiday, and Bam Adebayo to subpar shooting numbers. But as the NBA’s best defensive road team, betting against Curry may be one of the best NBA prop bets given its lofty totals.

Other Warriors Step Up

Curry’s loss may be the rest of the team’s gain. Should Curry have a “slump” as he did in Game 2 (he still led the team in scoring), it falls on the rest of his teammates to pick up the scoring load. Four other Warriors scored in double figures in this game including Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole. The trio have combined to average 46.3 points in the NBA Finals odds.

Thompson is the team’s second-leading scorer and is lined at 19½ points. Golden State is 5-2 when he scores 20 or more points and 8-3 when he shoots better than his average of 43.7 percent in the playoffs. Wiggins is lined at 17½ and Poole at 12½. The latter is the X-Factor as Golden State has won both games he’s scored more than his prop total and lost both where he didn’t.

Boston, A Beast on the Road

Folks who bet on the NBA Finals would love the Boston Celtics as another road underdog. This team is 6-3 when visiting as an underdog and the NBA prop bets have them lined at plus-money in most of the markets. For Boston to pull it off, it will have to win the second half once again.

Both of the Celtics’ wins came in the fourth quarter. It “stole” Game 1 by lighting up Golden State in the fourth. Then, Boston held on to win Game 3 by shutting GS down in the final minutes. Tatum has proven his worth as a playmaker so even with his shooting struggles, he can lead his team to victory if he gets everyone else involved hence why his assist prop remains juiced to the ‘over’.