Warriors vs Celtics Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

Winning an NBA championship is as much about minimizing your weaknesses as it is about maximizing your strengths. The Boston Celtics have undoubtedly been the best team this year and are the NBA Odds favorite to win the Larry O’Brien this summer.

But a series of playoff collapses is being blamed on them, rightly or wrongly, as proof that they’re not as mentally tough as the competition. While these criticisms can only really be answered in the playoffs, a matchup with the team that beat them in the NBA Finals two years ago is the next best thing.

The Golden State Warriors haven’t looked like championship contenders for most of the season, but right now they appear to be a threat to win any series they’re in.

Check out my free NBA picks for the Warriors vs. Celtics on Sunday, March 3 to see if I think they still have Boston’s number.

Warriors vs Celtics odds

Warriors vs Celtics Predictions

THE Boston Celtics are the team to beat this season. That means they get the best shooting of everyone, which makes their dominant record (47-12) and point differential (+10.8) even more impressive.

But if there’s one team the Celtics still haven’t fully figured out, it’s their old NBA Finals foes, the Warriors of the Golden State.

Including the playoffs, the Warriors have won five of their last six games against the Celtics. While franchise head-to-head records don’t mean much to most NBA teams, many of the core elements of those rotations are still present and playing prominent roles.

If there’s a psychological advantage to be had in this game, it belongs to the Dubs. Golden State was also the first team to beat Boston at home this season, dashing their dream of an unbeaten home record.

While just a season ago the Warriors could never win on the road, they are now on an eight-game road winning streak. Golden State is also 20-8 ATS on the road this season. This represents a coverage rate of 71.4%, the best mark in the Association.

To be clear, I think Boston is still better, but this puts the Warriors closer to the peak of their power this season, and they are one of two or three teams that won’t be intimidated by the Celtics at all.

I think 11.5 points would be a reasonable line for two teams that are otherwise this far apart in terms of numbers, but the Warriors are not a normal matchup for Boston. It’s also important to note that there are two critical players on Sunday’s injury report: Steph Curry and Kristaps Porzingis.

Steph was a surprising addition, and he is listed as questionable due to knee bursitis. I think this update is simply Golden State doing their due diligence, as Curry was able to play his normal rotation on Friday without issue.

Inflammation is usually a manageable issue, and since it’s not a back-to-back game and it’s against the best team in the NBA, I’d be shocked if he doesn’t dress.

Porzingis has a quad bruise, and while it doesn’t appear serious, the Celtics have been cautious when it comes to the Latvian big man’s lower-body injuries.

Porzingis has already missed 15 games this season largely due to this sense of caution, so if any of these key players are likely to miss Sunday’s game, I think KP is much more likely.

This game will mean more than a typical regular season game. In games where pressure and expectations are heightened, the Warriors generally fare better than this line suggests.

My best bet: Warriors +11.5 (-115 at Betway)

Parlay Warriors vs Celtics in the same match

Warriors +11

Jayson Tatum 5+ assists

Jonathan Kuinga Less than 0.5 made threes

There has been a developing media narrative over the past month that Jayson Tatum is overlooked as a deserving MVP candidate. While once being the best player on the best team was considered enough to win the award, basketball analytics has long become more sophisticated.

Tatum frankly isn’t as good as the other Top 4 names in the race, and one area where they’re all better than him is at point guard. But that doesn’t mean Tatum isn’t is not good for his position or that he is not making progress. Tatum’s 20.7% assist rate is right in line with his past few seasons, but he has the highest assist-to-usage ratio of his career.

While Tatum might not win the MVP award, he’s doing a great job of letting his teammates play their part, and that could be the difference in a championship run. Since this is a marquee matchup, I expect Tatum to command the offense at a higher rate than usual. He’s also averaging 6.7 assists per game over his last 10 games and has made at least five in all but one game.

Jonathan Kuminga played a huge role for the Warriors during this recent run. The reason he hasn’t played much before and also why he’s been so effective is probably because the way he plays goes against traditional Golden State principles.

Kuminga is a fierce attacker, but he is not a shooter. Kuminga only made four threes in the entire month of February, with a success rate of just 21.1% from downtown. He only made one triple in his last eight games and often finished with just one or no attempts.

Kuminga seems to be focusing on perfecting the areas he is good at rather than worrying about his outside game this season. Considering how few attempts he makes, I think this is great value for the final leg of my parlay in the same match.

Learn how to bet on the same game with these helpful tips and strategies.

Warriors vs Celtics Spread and Over/Under Analysis

There were significant line movements for Sunday’s matinee game. The Celtics started as -9.5 favorites in most books, saw that number drop to -8.5, but are now at -11.5.

There are certainly justifiable reasons for the Celtics to be heavy favorites. Boston is 17-14 ATS at home and 28-3 in a row, but of course one of those three losses came against Golden State. The Warriors, for their part, have a solid ATS, going 8-2 in their last 10 games.

Sunday’s total started at 233.5, but fell a few points to 230.5 at most sportsbooks.

So much of the first part of the season was spent discussing the historic dominance and gaudy numbers of the Indiana Pacers offense that I don’t think many realize the Celtics have had the best offense for some time now .

Their offensive rating of 122.6 is 1.4 points per 100 higher than second-place Indiana, making the Pacers closer to the NBA’s sixth-best offense than Boston.

The Celtics’ ability to play five shooters at all times puts opposing teams in crisis, and they mix in enough post play and other weapons to keep defenders on their toes. However, these assets will take a big hit if Porzingis is absent.

Golden State, for its part, has tended to play in high-scoring games when it is marked as the underdog in the NBA odds. The Over is now 13-8 as the underdog this season.

Warriors vs Celtics betting trend to know

The Warriors are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games. NBA Betting Trends for Warriors vs. Celtics.

Warriors vs Celtics Game Info

Latest Warriors vs Celtics Injuries

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