Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics Game 1 Betting Preview & Picks

Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics takes place Thursday evening, as both teams battled through their fair share of adversity to get here.

The Warriors enter play favored with a -3.5 spread. Let’s take a look at what’s at stake for both teams heading into Game 1.

Warriors Outlook

The Warriors made quick work of the Dallas Mavericks, as they handled them in five games.

Klay Thompson led all scorers in the close out game, as he finished with 32 points on 12-of-25 shooting from the field.

Andrew Wiggins continues to be a breakout player for the Warriors during this playoff run, as he dropped in 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Draymond Green, as usual, finished with a well-rounded statline, as he had 17 points, nine assists and six rebounds. 

Kevon Looney also put in some work, finishing with 10 points, 18 rebounds and four assists. Jordan Poole came off the bench to put up 16 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Stephen Curry didn’t have his best game, as he had just 15 points on 5-of-17 shooting to go along with nine assists.

The Warriors are going to keep Boston's defense on their toes with their willingness to move the ball around and the capability to hit the three from anywhere.

If the Warriors get hot early, they will have a great chance of running the Celtics out of their gym.

Celtics Outlook

Jayson Tatum carried the load in the Celtics’ series clinching win over the Miami Heat, as he posted 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. 

Jaylen Brown provided 24 points, six rebounds and six assists. Marcus Smart also had 24 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists.

The Celtics have found their identity in the second half of the season, as Tatum and Brown proved they can co-exist as a dynamic scoring duo out on the wings and the veteran role players, such as Al Horford and Smart can muck it up defensively and intimidate the opposing team’s best player.

Just ask Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler. They have all been shut down or limited to some degree at some point when the Celtics faced off against their respective teams.

The Celtics have as well balanced a team you can hope for, but Tatum is the engine that runs this team. If he gets hot, the Celtics are nearly unbeatable. If Tatum gets cold, it’ll be up to Brown and others to pick up his slack.

Warriors Win

The first Finals game in the Bay Area since 2019 is sure to fire up not only the home crowd, but the players as well.

The nucleus of Curry, Thompson and Green have shut down a ton of narratives that they can’t win without KD or that they were a fluke.

With that said, expect them all to come out extremely motivated and put the Celtics away in Game 1.

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