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Betting My Way Through The NBA Playoffs: Can Celtics Take Care Of Business At Home?

Derek Farnsworth Mon 6/6 9:48am PT
Jordan Poole could be a key factor in determining a Game 3 winner in the NBA finals Wednesday.
Image Credit: Imagn

ScoresAndOdds NBA betting expert Derek Farnsworth breaks down his Game 3 prediction for Boston vs. Golden State! Make sure to use our PointsBet promo for up to $2000 in free bets!

Ladies and gentlemen, we officially have a series on our hands. While blowouts aren’t nearly as entertaining as competitive games, I was happy to see the Warriors run away with Game 2. Very few teams have been able to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first two games at home. 

We finally saw a couple of those patented Warriors runs in Game 2. Despite only holding a two-point lead at halftime, the Warriors outscored the Celtics by 21 points in the third quarter. Stephen Curry continues his quest for the Finals MVP, as he racked up a game-high 29 points in only 32 minutes of action. 

The series now shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Wednesday night. And according to the betting market, this series is essentially a coin flip the rest of the way. 

Running Totals 

Game 3 Preview: Celtics vs. Warriors

I know a lot can change over the course of a series, but I get the feeling that the series will be decided in the next two games. The Warriors will have a tough time recovering from a 3-1 deficit if they are unable to win a game in Boston. For the Celtics, they might have a tough time beating the Warriors in San Francisco again, so they’ll do everything they can to win these next two games. 

I’m going back and forth on what to bet on for Game 3. As I’ve noted more times than I can count, the Warriors have won a road game in 26-straight playoff series. And yes, that is an NBA record. The Celtics are their toughest competition to date in the playoffs, but the Warriors could easily be up two games in this series if they didn’t forget how to play basketball in the fourth quarter of Game 1.

Both teams should feel like they could get more from their key players. The Celtics haven’t gotten a good game from both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, while the Warriors haven’t gotten much from Klay Thompson. Both teams have shot the ball well from the three-point line, but both have struggled with turnovers. There really isn’t anything too telling from the box scores from the first two games. 

I generally like to bet on the home team in this situation, but I have a different plan in place. If the Warriors are going to extend their road winning streak, it will likely be in one of the next two games. They are going to be underdogs in both, so my plan is to bet on them in Game 3. If they cover, I can finally switch sides and roll with Boston in Game 4. If not, I’ll go right back to the Warriors well in Game 4. Ultimately, I’m really just banking on the success of the Warriors on the road in the playoffs.