Celtics vs. Warriors Game 1 Prediction
Game 1 of the NBA Finals will take place at Chase Center in San Francisco, CA on Thursday night when the Warriors host the Celtics on ABC. From a betting standpoint, Boston has dominated previous meetings between these two teams but will Golden State prevail tonight?
Game Snapshot
517 Boston Celtics (+3.5) at 518 Golden State Warriors (-3.5); o/u 212.5
9:00 p.m. ET, Thursday, June 2, 2022
Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
TV: ABC
Boston Celtics DFS Notes
Marcus Smart (right ankle sprain) is not being listed on Boston’s injury report for Game 1 against the Warriors on Thursday and will be available to play. Celtics coach Ime Udoka said earlier that Smart and Robert Williams (left knee soreness) would be listed as questionable, but only Williams remains on the injury report. There was never much doubt regarding Smart’s official status as it was recently reported that there was “no concern” with the ankle injury, so expect him to be out there attempting to make life miserable for Stephen Curry. We’ll likely have to wait until tomorrow to get the final word on Time Lord, but the expectation is that the team will be 100% healthy heading into its first Finals in over a decade.
Golden State Warriors DFS Notes
Gary Payton II (left elbow fracture), Otto Porter (left foot soreness) and Andre Iguodala (neck) all practiced in full on Wednesday, including scrimmaging, and remain questionable for Game 1 of the Finals against the Celtics on Thursday. These three were always expected to be carrying questionable tags heading into Game 1, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the fact they all made it through today’s scrimmage was a step in the right direction. Keep in mind that none of them scrimmaged on Monday and they practiced in full on Tuesday, but it was a lighter practice, meaning this was their first full practice in some time. Porter only missed the last two games of the Mavericks series, but Payton and Iggy have missed a month or more of action with their respective injuries. There’s still plenty of time before Game 1 begins, so check back closer to then to get the official statuses on these three.
Celtics vs. Warriors Game 1 NBA Finals
The Celtics are 8-1 against the spread in their last nine road games versus the Warriors and are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games versus Golden State overall. Boston is also 8-1-1 against the number in its last 10 games as a road underdog, is 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven playoff games as an underdog and 12-3-2 ATS in its last 17 games as an underdog, either home or away. In the Celtics’ last 26 road games, they’re 20-5-1 at the betting window and are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 NBA Finals contests.
NBA FINALS BETTING PREDICTION: BOSTON CELTICS +3.5