Celtics-Warriors Betting Odds: Back Golden State To Finally Deliver in G.S.
Golden State May Be the Best Bet on the Road Versus Golden State
Warriors Favored in their Hell: Chase Center
The Chase Center is more like hell for the Golden State Warriors. This has been the place of suffering for these would-be contenders: Golden State has lost three straight games here. Last season, they lost by 16 despite being favored by 2.5 points. But this time, the Celtics face the Warriors at their most vulnerable since their NBA Finals. As such, the Celtics-Warriors betting odds peg Boston as 5.5-point favorites. And finally, it could exorcise its demons.
Boston Celtics (20-5) vs Golden State Warriors (12-14)
Date, time:
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Can We Trust Boston To Do It?
Boston is the only NBA team that has never been lined as an underdog this season. How has Boston fared? It’s 20-5 as a favorite but only 12-11-2 against the spread (ATS). And on the road, it’s tougher: Boston is only 6-5 and 2-7-2 ATS. Yikes. This is a brutal record for the top team on the NBA odds.
If we dig a bit deeper, Boston is just 1-3-1 ATS as a favorite of five points or fewer. Its offense is not the same when on the road. At home, Boston is averaging a 124.8 offensive rating. This is top in the league, hence its +15.7 net rating. But on the road, it drops to 110.1, which is 24th overall. The Celtics’ net rating is only +0.8.
This is a significant decline in production. Hence, this is why the Celtics-Warriors betting odds only peg Boston as a five-point favorite despite Golden State’s recent hardships. If Boston is to improve on its less-than-satisfactory road stats, it will need to find a way to get its offense going.
Playing in San Francisco may make it tougher. The total has gone under in 10 of its last 11 games in Warriors territory. And with the total set at 232 points, which is relatively high, the trend could continue.
Still, Boston should beat Golden State. The Boston Celtics standings are still atop the league. But the Warriors? We are not exaggerating when we say this team is starting to look like a dumpster fire.
Warriors Must Fight Way Out of Dire Straits
The Warriors are in a predicament. Thanks to Draymond Green getting carried away, again, he is indefinitely suspended. And without Green, the Warriors are a shell of themselves. Stephen Curry saw his 268-game streak snapped when he failed to make a 3-pointer in an ugly win against Portland. Curry shot just 2-of-12 and had seven points as Golden State won 118-114.
“To me, this is about more than basketball. It’s about helping Draymond,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said regarding Green’s suspension. “I think it’s an opportunity for Draymond to step away and to make a change in his approach and his life and that’s not an easy thing to do.”
Without Green, the Warriors are just 27-29 in the past two seasons. For all his antics, Green contributes plenty on both offense and defense. But even with him, Golden State hasn’t fared too well. This team is just 6-6 at home with a -1.4 net rating. Golden State is subpar on both ends of the ball.
While Curry is still putting up 28 points a game, he has little help. Klay Thompson is averaging 16.8 points but is shooting just 41.8% from the field. He came up big for Golden State in the win versus Portland as he scored 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting. If he can channel this version of himself, G.S. could just topple the Celtics-Warriors betting odds.
Golden State is also just 6-12 in its last 18 games. But it has won five straight home games. And against Boston, the Warriors may just channel every ounce of their championship spirit into burning Boston again. It’s worth a look given their NBA Finals history.
