The Warriors handled their business in Game 4 in Boston, winning 107-97 as Steph Curry dropped 42 points in his career’s second-best NBA Finals performance. In what is now a best of three series, we bead back to The Bay as the Warriors have reclaimed home-court advantage.
Can someone other than Curry step up for the Warriors and send the series back to Boston with a chance to clinch on Thursday? Let’s take a closer look at three players I’m keyed in on for tonight’s pivotal Game 5.
Join the BettingPros Discord Chat for Live Betting Advice >>
Leg #1. Warriors -4.5
We’ve mentioned at length the improbable record of NBA Finals teams who win being undefeated ATS, so I have no problem laying the points here with a Warriors team who I think cruises late in this one. For the Celtics, Robert Williams III has been the difference-maker for me in this series, as his size and athleticism have been too much for the Warriors to account for while shutting down elite scorers in Brown and Tatum.
Now dealing with a knee injury that hampered his performance late in Game 4, I like for the Warriors to take advantage as head coach Steve Kerr will be scheming around this development early and often tonight in San Francisco.
Leg #2. Daymond Green 8+ Points
Visibly bothered by being the focus of a vicious TD Garden crowd the past two games, Green has struggled to score just two points in each game. In Games 1 and 2 at home, Green averaged 6.5 points per game, still below his season average of 7.5.
Returning home tonight to the friendly confines of the Chase Center, Green will also look to attack an ailing Williams, and I expect just that. Look for Green to regress towards his average, where we’d need just one additional bucket to get over this points total.
Leg #3. Klay Thompson has 22+ Points
We saw flashes of Splash Brother #2’s old self in Game 3, scoring 25 points in a Warriors loss. With a regular-season average of 20.4 points per game, we’ve still yet to see a truly big game from Thompson, and I think we get that tonight in a game that the Warriors desperately need someone to compliment Steph from the field.
Already known as “Game 6 Klay” for historical performances over the Warriors dynasty run of the past decade, it should be just a matter of time before we see one more historical performance. The injury to Williams should also benefit Thompson, as it provides the Celtics one less lanky athlete to close out on the Warriors from deep.
Total Odds: +650 at DK Sportsbook
Join the BettingPros Discord Chat for Live Betting Advice >>
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our Sports Betting Strategy and Advice page is for you. You can get started with our 101 section — including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners — or head to more advanced strategies — like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread — to learn more.
Johnny is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Johnny, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers