THE Warriors of the Golden State I will visit the Boston Celtics Sunday at TD Garden. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.
Golden State (32-26 SU, 32-25-2 ATS and 30-29 O/U) beat Toronto 120-105 on Friday. The Warriors are 9th in the Western Conference standings.
Boston (47-12 SU, 29-27-3 ATS and 28-30-1 O/U) beat Dallas 138-110 on Friday. The Celtics are 1st in the Eastern Conference.
Injury report
Warriors: SG Brandin Podziemski (9.7 PPG and 5.8 RPG) is questionable (knee) and SF Andrew Wiggins (12.7 PPG and 4.3 RPG) is questionable (personal).
Celtics: No injuries to report.
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Golden State is 8-2 SU in its last ten games
Golden State averages 119.1 points per game (6th) and shoots 47.2 percent (16th), including 38.0 percent from three-point range (5th). GS converts 78.3 percent of its free throw attempts (5th) and averages 46.9 rebounds per game (2nd). The Warriors also average 29.1 assists (4th) and 14.5 turnovers per game (22nd).
Golden State is giving up 116.8 points per game (18th), and its opponents are shooting 46.8 percent (9th), including 35.2 percent from deep (6th), with 43.2 rebounds per game (14th). The Warriors average 4.2 blocks (27th), 6.8 steals per game (26th) and 20.1 fouls per game (24th).
Golden State ranks 8th in offensive rating, 14th in defensive rating and 11th in pace (schedule-adjusted), according to Dunks and Threes.
Seven three last night for Stephen Curry.
He now has 15 hat-tricks in the last two matches ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/J2NfRV7skC
– Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 2, 2024
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Boston is the Beast from the East
Boston is averaging 121.0 points per game (4th) and shooting 48.6 percent (10th), including 38.4 percent from three-point range (4th). He converts 81.2 percent of his free throw attempts (6th) and averages 47.1 rebounds per game (1st). The Celtics also average 26.3 assists (18th) and 12.4 turnovers per game (4th).
Boston allows 110.2 points per game (7th), and its opponents shoot 44.8% (2nd), including 34.9% from deep (2nd), with 43.6 rebounds per game (15th). The Celtics average 6.6 blocks (2nd), 6.4 steals per game (29th) and 17.0 fouls per game (2nd).
Boston ranks 1st in offensive rating, 3rd in defensive rating, and 19th in pace (schedule-adjusted), by Dunks and Threes.
Took control in the third quarter as JT left pic.twitter.com/BGFPT9mt9L
– Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 2, 2024
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Best bets for this game
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Golden State has won 11 of its last 13 games, but that won’t matter much if it can’t show up in Boston and Milwaukee on Sunday and Wednesday. The Warriors climbed to ninth place in the West with a month and a half of regular season games remaining, bringing their playoff race to life. Betting on them to cover on Sunday seems like the most logical play given the circumstances.
Golden State has been a more competitive team with Chris Paul returning and Klay Thompson coming off the bench, strengthening their rotation. This will have an impact tomorrow afternoon at TD Garden, as Boston is also trending upward. Although consistency hasn’t been an issue in Beantown, the C’s have been playing very well recently, winning ten straight games.
Boston’s defense is elite, but Golden State’s offense won’t back down from a challenge. The Warriors will give the Celtics a hard time at the rim (6th in rim FG%) and will try to kill from three points (5th in 3PT%). On the defensive end of the court, the Warriors’ perimeter D will be the X-factor. Golden State ranks 6th in opponent 3PT%, while Boston makes 38.4 percent of its triples (4th). The C’s also attempt the most three-pointers in the league.
Bet on the Warriors to do enough to at least cover the spread on Sunday in this NBA East-West battle.
Prediction: Warriors coverage
Total choice of the complete game
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The Warriors are playing well defensively, holding New York to 99 points and Toronto to 105 points in their last two games, but the Celtics are a different animal. They routed Dallas on Friday, scoring 138 points on 55.3 percent shooting, including 48.8 percent (21-for-43) from deep. Defending the C’s for four quarters will be a challenge, even for a Dubs team that holds its opponents to 35.2 percent from downtown. Keeping the score close enough to cover is one thing, but limiting the Celtics to 110 points or less is another story.
I do, however, expect the Warriors to “get theirs” on the other end of the court. Golden State may not be on anyone’s radar to win it all, but they’re still a veteran team with championship spirit. It’s been fun to watch recently, but his winning streak lacks declared victories. Getting one back on Sunday will be a motivating factor for the Dubs. I don’t expect them to change their minds about the legitimacy of the Celtics’ D, but they will be effective enough to push the total over the top.
Prediction: More
