NBA Finals: Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics Game 3 Preview, Odds, Prediction

Game 3 of the NBA finals tips off this Wednesday night at the TD Garden. The Boston Celtics host the Golden State Warriors, having a one-game break earned at Chase Center. However, that won’t mean a thing if the Cs lose one of the upcoming two events. The home-court edge would then get back to Golden State’s side. The Dub Nation won Game 2 and they snapped the rival’s momentum, showing a very good game, in particular Steph Curry. All these factors build up a very intense and turbulent atmosphere before Wednesday’s clash.

Preview

Golden State Warriors (+140) had a wonderful third period in Game 2, breaking the rivals and outscoring them 35-14. It ended even better, with Jordan Poole hitting a three-pointer from half-court, putting an exclamation point and creating additional momentum for the home unit.

Poole’s good performance was one of the reasons for this win. After having a pretty pale Game 1, the young guard scored 17 points, hitting five threes, which undoubtedly had a huge impact on the game’s flow. When either he or Klay plays well, the Warriors are in a solid position.

Thompson had 11 points in this one, but Steph dropped 29, despite having a mediocre shooting percentage, 9-for-21. Curry collected six boards, four assists, and three steals, contributing on the defensive end very well. Kevon Looney had 12 points and seven boards, while Andrew Wiggins added 11.

Boston Celtics (-160) saw Jayson Tatum playing at his usual level this time, having 28 points and six boards in 34 minutes, hitting six threes in nine attempts. But all the other players weren’t at the expected height, and that is why Ime Udoka’s unit lost.

Jaylen Brown had 17 points and six boards, but made only five of his 17 shots. The only one left with a double-digit number of buckets was Derrick White who came off the bench to add 12 points, but he too shot poorly, 4-for-13.

Al Horford was stopped, having only two points. Compared to the opening event, that was the biggest plus for the Warriors. Looney outplayed the veteran this time, who didn’t have a single shot for three points, and was 1-for-4 overall. In the end, he added eight boards and just one assist, another proof that the Warriors closed him well.

Head to Head

Game 1 ended with the Celtics’ victory, 120-108. That was the first loss for the Warriors at home in these playoffs. Though, they responded well in Game 2, beating the rivals 107-88. It was them who played a hard defense this time, showing that they have enough power to restrain the Cs in that aspect of the game.

Prediction

The line for the total points is set at 212.5 for Game 3, and for us that is too much. All of the Celtics’ games at the TD Garden were pretty rough, with the defense in the center of focus. On top of that, Boston has to be more aggressive and use the home-court edge, otherwise, the championship ambitions are doomed. So, our final pick here is under, with the odds set at -110 for that suggestion.

Pick: Under 212.5 points -110