Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors Odds, Analysis, NBA Betting Pick
The Golden State Warriors will try to extend their winning streak to three and extend the skid of the Boston Celtics to three when they host them as big home chalk Wednesday.
The Warriors (52-11) return to Oakland briefly for this matchup off an impressive 119-111 win over the Atlanta Hawks that closed out a five-game road trip and then play their next two away from home, starting Friday in Minnesota.
Point spread: The Warriors opened as 7.5-point favorites; the total is at 222.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)
NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 110.3-105.9 Warriors (NBA picks on every game)
Why the Celtics can cover the spread
Boston (40-24) is playing the fourth game of a five-game road trip here and blew double-digit leads in each of the last two en route to consecutive losses. Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas vented after a 116-102 setback to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday after his team led by 13 points late in the third quarter.
Thomas is an outstanding leader who should probably be in the MVP conversation even though his numbers cannot compete with James Harden or Russell Westbrook. His Boston teammates should respond well in this spot and rebound with a better effort.
Why the Warriors can cover the spread
Every time you start to doubt Golden State, still the clear leaders on the odds to win the NBA championship, the defending Western Conference champs seem to respond in a big way. After failing to cover the spread in six straight games, the Warriors came through against the Hawks behind 24 points apiece from Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala.
With Kevin Durant out for what could be the rest of the regular season, they have a lot to prove down the stretch as they chase the NBA's best record again. Golden State has won its last 10 at home by double digits, and another victory like that will be enough to cover.
Smart betting pick
The last time the Celtics visited Oracle Arena, they handed the Warriors their first home loss of the year last April during their opponent's record-setting campaign for most wins in a season.
Boston is 5-2-1 against the spread in the past eight meetings with Golden State despite losing six of them. While the Warriors have won their last 10 home games, they have failed to cover their last two there, and the Celtics will be extra motivated to get back on track and at least beat the spread.
NBA betting trends
Boston is 3-6 ATS in its last nine games.
The total has gone under in six of Boston's last seven games on the road.
The total has gone under in seven of Golden State's last nine games against Boston.
All NBA lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.
