NBA Finals: Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors Game 2 Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Boston Celtics drew the first blood in the NBA Finals, beating the Golden State Warriors, 120-108 in Game 1. A fantastic last quarter during which the guests had a barrage from outside the three-point territory decided the clash, as Boston managed to come back from a 15-point deficit, creating a massive swing before Game 2. The Warriors suffered their first defeat in the playoffs this year, and to be honest, a minority of the fans expected this to happen. Saturday night brings us Game 2, maybe the crucial in this series. The Warriors need to win, otherwise, their situation will be heavily complicated for Steve Kerr and his boys.

Preview

Boston Celtics (+160) were slightly lighter underdogs before Game1 than now. It appears that the bookies anticipate Golden State’s response, which is logical, to be honest. But whether would that be enough, that is the question.

The Cs handled Golden State’s best shot in the opening and third period, but still managed to get back and eventually win. They’ve scored 40 points in the final period, allowing only 16, making a 17-0 run in the last sequence.

Al Horford was the man, and as we said, he will be an X-factor for the Cs in the Finals. He scored 26 points with six threes in eight tries and six boards. Jaylen Brown ended the night with 24 buckets, seven boards and five assists, and he was the one who crushed the Warriors’ defense. Tatum had only 12 buckets but 13 assists, quickly adapting to the new circumstances. Derrick White had 21 points off the bench and was a spark that moved Boston each time they were in problems; Marcus Smart scored 18.

Golden State Warriors (-190) put Steph Curry in front at the event’s start, and the two-time NBA MVP opened the game furiously. He was pouring from all positions but the Cs were still sticking close. As time went by, Cury began to fade, and even though he dropped 34 points, we can say that he didn’t have his best performance. Steph wasn’t there in the clutch moments.

Andrew Wiggins ended the night with 20 points and five boards, while Klay had only 15 buckets. Meanwhile, there was no help from the bench, who scored 31 points combined.

Jordan Poole was quiet, having only nine points in 25 minutes, 2-for-7. Otto Porter Jr. had 12, while the veteran and the former NBA Finals MVP, Andre Igoudala, had seven.

Head to Head Games

This is the second win in San Francisco for the Celtics this year. On the other side, the Warriors have one win, and that was in Boston.

Prediction

We strongly believe that these two sides won’t have such an efficient performance in Game 2. The line for the total is at 215.5 points, and we are going with under here. Both teams have scored 40 threes combined, which is a lot for the Finals, and we feel that such a percentage and volume won’t be repeated. The odds on under are -110. Also, we would go with Al Horford scoring more than 15 points in this event, as a prop bet.

Pick: Under 215.5 points