The leaders of their respective conferences and two best teams in the NBA in the early part of the season carry two longest winning streaks right now to their meeting in Boston on Thursday night. It’s still premature to say that this is a preview of NBA Finals, but the entire nation will be watching to see if the power of Warriors is enough to stop the hot Celtics or the next-gen has already arrived. Let’s see where’s money to be made on this enticing game.
Warriors at Celtics
Spread: Golden State -6.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 215 points (-110)
The streak extended to 7, even Curry sitting
Business as usual. After an even half during which you could sense that the avalanche is coming, the Warriors opened up the second half on a roll, steaming past the dumbfounded Magic to open up a 20 points lead and ultimately cruise to 110-100 victory. It’s the same script they have been following since the beginning of November, except the avalanche wasn’t as heavy as it would be with Stephen Curry.
While offering an expected team-leading 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting and seven rebounds, Durant also assumed another role as a playmaker. With Curry sidelined with an injury to his thigh, Durant shared increased ball-handling duties with veterans Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala, resulting in a season-high eight assists. The Warriors didn’t have the 3-point shooting and spreading the floor that they usually have, finishing with an earthly 8-of-23 from deep but compensated with a good effort on defense and playing in transition. The Warriors held Orlando to 19 points on a 4-of-23 mark from the field in the crucial third quarter. Draymond Green was super efficient with 8-of-11 shooting to score 20 points and Klay Thompson added 15. Even without Curry, the ball distribution was good – five different Warriors’ players finished with at least 5 assists, and Iguodala had 4. The Warriors also outrebounded the Magic by 15.
Curry will likely suit up Thursday against the Celtics as Kerr stated that he would have played in the previous game as well if it was important. The Warriors play next four on the road.
Place: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Date/Time: Thursday, November 16th, 2017. 8:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: TNT
Irving returns in Brooklyn, the Celtics win no. 13
Kyrie Irving had 25 points and five assists and was serenaded by “MVP” chants in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 109-102 win over Brooklyn, its 13th in a row. Wearing a mask to protect his face, he wasn’t brilliant, but it was just what the Celtics needed him to be, and missed him in the previous two games.
Marcus Morris had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Al Horford added 17 and 11 for Boston, and the Celtics needed these big contributions from their starters on a night the bench made just 4 of 26 shots. The Celtics made runs, but the pesky Nets wouldn’t fall on their backs. The Celtics could not sustain playing at the same level, allowing the Nets to respond. The Celtics started off on the right note, building a 17-4 lead early on and looked to overmatch the Nets in every facet, but once the home team settled, all of the lead was quickly gone – 14-0 run in the second-quarter had the Nets up by 6. Boston found their true rhythm in the third, putting together 19-2 behind their starters, but the Nets clawed back to just a point of deficit against Boston’s second unit. One last push with Larkin inserted into the game finally decided the outcome of this up and down game. Even though some players like Smart, Rozier, and Baynes would like to quickly forget the game, it was still another testament that they have great depth and that they can win games not playing their best ball. Still, they won’t be able to win against their next opponent if they don’t play solid 48 minutes of Boston basketball.
The game is creating a lot of buzz around the NBA and it’s safe to say that it’s one of the most anticipated match-ups in this early part of the season. The Boston will have their usual squad available for it, but coach Stevens is tempering the expectations. Three road games lay ahead on the schedule for the Celtics.
Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics Game Trends & Prediction
The game against Orlando snapped a streak of six consecutive covers for the Warriors (7-7 ATS), but it was nothing like the October games at home – they had big enough lead to beat the spread, but the Magic reserves pulled a backdoor cover in the garbage time. It usually isn’t a threat when the Warriors play so well, but Curry’s absence played a factor. The game also stayed below the set total points line, and it was the fourth under in the last six games. Two of these happened when Curry and Durant missed a game, and the Warriors are still on the positive side with the overs, going 8-6 on the O/U market this season.
The Boston Celtics covered again (by the tiniest of margins), making money for the eighth time in the last ten games (one loss and one push). The value has shrunk, but they already rewarded us going 12-2-1 against the spread so far this season. This doesn’t mean that you should stop going after them, but it’s likely that they’ll be faded more and more (in terms of value). They are also a solid provider of the minus points having played 10 of their first 15 games with an under outcome, even though the last games eclipsed the closing line by 2 points. At home, they are 3-4 so far, as they usually shoot with more confidence.
Admi-Rank: the Terrific season for the Celtics so far, but the recent injuries have slowed down their progress. There are still an excellent team, but it’s almost impossible to match the same level of production the Warriors give night in and night out. Even with such a long winning streak, the Celtics are still a tier below the Warriors, and it’s unlikely that no team will catch the champs until they don’t slip themselves.
As professional as these young Celtics looked so far, they are not hiding their excitement over this game. They want to play against the best and want to keep the streak alive. On the other hand, the Warriors are considering them to be more of a future problem than one they can’t handle right now. It’s not brushing aside the opposition – it’s the fact of the present. Golden State is the team to beat here, not the vice versa. The Celtics of last year did it in Oakland, but lost at home, and Irving has the recent memory of playing them in the playoff series, so some of the players know what tasks lie ahead. Some key parts, like Tatum, Brown, and Morris, don’t have as much experience against the team of the decade (if at all), and that part really had me thinking.
The Warriors are set as a 6.5-point favorite in this one, and considering that they’ve been crushing the books on their away games, it could be considered as a voice of respect for the Celtics. I have the home time at +5, so I’m not going to pass on the opportunity, even with my doubts shared here. Also, keep a possibility of betting home side for the first half only open, as the Warriors tend to overpower the opposition after the halftime intermission.
The total has opened at 215, and this implies two things – the oddsmakers consider this to be something like a playoff intensity game, and are thus lowering the expected number; and also understand that both of these teams play very good defense recently. My math model suggests a 220 line, but I’m not going to listen and will go down a few points for the same reasons. If the line drops to 213 (unlikely), I’ll take the over, but not on a lesser price.
My Pick: Boston +6.5 (-110)
Total: (no total points wager here, target price: over 213 points -110)
