Golden State Warriors vs Boston Celtics 12/17/2021 NBA Preview and Prediction

The Golden State Warriors head East to take on the Boston Celtics on Friday night.

Golden State is 23-5 SU on the season and they have the best record in the Pacific Division, Western Conference, and the entire NBA. The Dubs head to this game with a four wins in their last five games and two straight overall. In their last game, the Warriors defeated the New York Knicks 105-96 in the game where Steph Curry finally shattered Ray Allen’s all-time three-point record.

Boston is just 14-14 this season and they are 2nd in the Atlantic division. If the playoffs were to begin today, the Celtics would be outside the Top 6 but are eligible to participate in the play-in tournament at no. 10 overall. Boston opened a five-game homestand with a win over the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks in their last game. Before that, they went 1-4 in a five-game West road trip.

Golden State Warriors

Steph Curry finally broke Ray Allen’s all-time three-point record on Tuesday night. Curry needed two for the record and he finished with 5 three-pointer in a night where he finished with 22 points on 8-19 shooting. Jordan Poole also had a big game with 19 points while Andrew Wiggins added 18 points and 7 rebounds. Nemanja Bejilca added 14 points off the bench.

Golden State is the no. 3 scoring team in the NBA at 111.8 points per game. They are 3rd in rebounding at 47.0 boards grabbed per contest and are the no. 1 passing team in the league at 28.1 assists per game. The Warriors are no. 1 in scoring defense at 100.2 points per game allowed this season.

What are the Moneyline Odds?

Warriors

-159

Celtics

+149

Odds from BetOnline as of 12/17/2021

Boston Celtics

The Celtics defeated the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks in the first of their five game home stand last Monday. Jayson Tatum had a monster game with 42 points to lead the men in green. Jaylen Brown played his first game after a hamstring injury and scored 19 points while Grant Williams added 17 markers for Boston. Robert Williams III and Al Horford each scored 10 points against Milwaukee.

Boston is ranked 13th in scoring at 108.3 points per game. The Celtics are 8th in rebounding at 45.8 boards grabbed per contest and are 21st in passing at 22.9 assists per game. Boston is ranked 16th in scoring defense at 107.2 opponents points per game allowed.

Who Wins?

Golden State is 16-4 SU in their last 20 games played. The Warriors are 8-1 SU in their last nine games against the Eastern Conference and 9-3 SU in 12 road games played this season.

Boston is 2-4 SU in their last six games played. The Celtics are 7-1 SU in their last eight games played at home, and 1-5 SU in their last six games against an opponent from the Western Conference. Head to head, the Celtics are 5-0 SU in their last five games played against the Warriors.

The Celtics have Jaylen Brown back and he scored 19 in their win against the Bucks. The Warriors meanwhile, are coming off the game where Steph Curry finally broke Ray Allen’s record. With that in the rear view mirror, the Dubs can return to enjoying the games like they did during the early part of the season.

Golden State must be feeling better these days with Klay and Wiseman already recalled from their G-League affiliate. That means their returns are near and although it may not be in this game, the Dubs know it’s only a matter of time when they are complete. That gives a team plenty of confidence.

Prediction: Golden State Warriors

Other Bets to Make

Golden State is 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games played. The Warriors are 7-0 ATS in their last seven Friday games, 4-1 ATS in their last five games when playing on 2 days rest, 21-7 ATS in their last 28 games when their opponent allows more than 100 points in their previous game, 16-6-1 ATS in their last 23 games after an ATS win, and 21-8-1 in their last 30 games as betting favorite.

Boston is 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games against an opponent with a winning percentage better than .600. The Celtics are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games after an ATS win, 8-21 ATS in their last 29 games after a straight up win of more than 10 points, 2-6 ATS when their opponents scores more than 100 points in their previous game, 1-5 ATS in their last six games after an ATS win, and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games after scoring more than 100 points in their previous game.

What are the Spread Odds?

Warriors

-3.5 (-120)

Celtics

+3.5 (+100)

Odds from BetOnline as of 12/17/2021

The Celtics are starting to play well and that’s because they are also starting to get healthy. When 100%, this team is more than the 14-14 record their currently have. However, the Warriors are the best ATS team in the NBA this season and for as long as the betting spread is reasonable, there’s no reason not to trust the Warriors. I think 3.5 points is reasonable enough.

Prediction: Golden State Warriors -3.5

The total has gone under in 9 out of the last 11 games played by the Warriors. The under is 5-0 in their last five games played on the road, 5-0-1 in their last six games after an ATS win, 4-0 in their last four games when playing on two days rest, 17-5 in their last 22 road games against an opponent with a winning home record, and 37-15 in their last 52 road games.

The total has gone under in six out of the last nine games played by the Celtics. The under is 13-3 in their last 16 games against an opponent with a winning straight up record, 6-2-1 in their last nine games as betting underdogs, 5-2 in their last seven games after allowing more than 100 points in their previous game, and 18-7-1 in their last 26 games after a straight up win of more than 10 points.

Head to head, the under is 21-8 in the last 29 meetings between these teams. The under is also 4-1 in their last five games at the TD Garden.

The Warriors have the best scoring defense and defensive rating in the NBA with teams barely hitting the 100 point mark against them. Only the Spurs have scored more than 104 points against Golden State in their last 17 games and six out of their last 11 opponents have been held to less than 100 points.

The under is 10-2 in Golden State’s 12 road games played this season. Overall, the under is hitting at a 74% mark in the Warriors’ games. They have also held 24 of 28 opponents to below their game total points. With all due respect to the Celtics, I can’t even think of the OVER right now or what the Celtics trends are. The Under and the Warriors are almost a lock this season. I have to go with that.

Prediction: Under 214

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