We head back to The Bay tonight for a critical Game 5, as the Warriors have reclaimed home-court advantage following a 107-97 win at TD Garden (Boston) on Friday. Now a 2-2 series and a best of three for the title, no game yet has been decided by less than 10 points despite it being one of the more competitive series in recent memory.
With Steph Curry turning in the series’ performance in Game 4 with 43 points and 10 rebounds, will Jayson Tatum rise to the occasion when the Celtics need him most? Let’s take a closer look at how Game 5 at the Chase Center might shake out.
Join the BettingPros Discord Chat for Live Betting Advice >>
#1. Warriors -3.5 | -110 at DK Sportsbook
Despite coming into the game with a foot injury sustained at the end of Game 3 when Al Horford fell on it, Curry still turned in his second-best NBA Finals performance of his career as the Warriors stormed back after tailing with five minutes left to even the series at two. Andrew Wiggins was the second-best player for the Warriors, scoring 17 points while racking up another 16 rebounds in a game they needed him desperately.
It’s also worth noting that the combination of Wiggins and big man Kevon Looney, who combined for 72 minutes and 23 points, finished the game with a combined +/- of +42 on a night no other Warrior had higher than +11.
For the Celtics, Tatum (23) and Jaylen Brown (21) got their standard 20+, but the rest of the Celtics ran out of gas late, with no other player scoring more than 18 points. Big man Robert Williams III who has been critical so far this series, was noticeably limping late after starting the game with a knee injury. Listed as probable for tonight’s game, his status is critical against a Warriors team who had yet to find much of an answer for his size and athleticism.
In this game, I like for head coach Steve Kerr to scheme a plan focused on attacking Williams down low, creating plenty of opportunities for a ticking bucket time bomb in Klay Thompson or Jordan Poole, both of whom are overdue for a monster postseason performance.
#2. Over 211 | -110 at DK Sportsbook
Adding even more to the parity of this series, the total is 2-2, with each game’s total decided by more than 12 points. In this game, I like for the Warriors’ return home, where they’ve excelled all season offensively, to be the difference and for the Splash Brothers to turn in a historic performance on the offensive end.
For the Celtics side of the equation, Tatum has been primarily held in check over the past few games since starting the series on fire, and I like for a big display from him tonight to also assist in this game sailing over the total at the Chase Center.
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.