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Betting My Way Through The NBA Playoffs: Another Chance For Warriors To Seize the Series (6/13/22)

Derek Farnsworth Mon 6/13 6:24am PT
Our NBA expert is backing the Warriors to cover the spread against Boston tonight in the NBA finals.
Image Credit: Imagn

ScoresAndOdds NBA betting expert Derek Farnsworth breaks down his Game 5 prediction for Boston vs. Golden State! Make sure to use our PrizePicks bonus and Caesars promo code to begin betting on the NBA Finals now!

Friday night was a big game for the Warriors and a big game for all of my bets. Golden State covered the spread and are now right back in the series. As basketball fans, we can’t ask for much more than this when it comes to the NBA Finals. The series is tied at two games, both teams have shown an ability to win on the road, and the betting market essentially sees the final three games as a coin flip. At the moment, the Warriors are listed as -130 favorites to win the title. 

While I certainly feel a lot better about my pick to win the series, the Celtics are very familiar with this situation. In the second round, they lost Game 5 at home to the Bucks to fall behind 3-2 in the series. They went on the road and beat Milwaukee, and then won Game 7 at home. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they lost Game 6 at home and then went to Miami and beat the Heat in a winner-take-all Game 7. They have the most road wins of any team in the playoffs and they are a perfect 8-0 after a loss in the postseason. 

Running Totals: 2022 NBA Playoffs

NBA Finals Game 5: Expert Pick And Preview

Series: TIED 2-2

This article series has been such a fun ride. We got off to a hot start in the first round, we struggled mightily in the second round, and then we battled back in the last two rounds. While I will still have money on the final three games, I am extremely happy that we have secured a profit for the playoffs. That was the ultimate goal and we managed to accomplish it before the NBA Finals even started. 

There are many reasons to like the Celtics in this one. The analytics suggest they are a better team and as noted above, they have yet to lose two straight games in the playoffs. They also have an amazing ability to bounce back on the road. However, there is no point in hedging my series betting pick at this point – we are rolling with the Warriors in Game 5. Basketball is a game of runs, but I would argue that Golden State should have won Game 1 at home and they blew out the Celtics in Game 2 at home. 

After getting dominated on the glass in Game 3, Steve Kerr made a change to the starting lineup. While Otto Porter had his worst outing of the postseason, Kevon Looney played 28 minutes off the bench (series high for him). The team committed fewer turnovers, they rebounded as a group (Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins had 26 rebounds combined), and they made shots when it mattered most. They have the experience and they have the best closer in basketball. 

Regardless of where you stand, everyone should be excited for this one.