Game 2 of the 2022 NBA Finals tips off Sunday when the Boston Celtics meet the Golden State Warriors. Tip-off at Chase Center is set for 8 p.m. ET (ABC). Boston leads the best-of-7 series 1-0. Below, we look at the Celtics vs. Warriors Game 2 odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Boston beat Golden State, 120-108, in Game 1 Thursday. The Celtics outperformed the Warriors in 3 of the “4 factors,” and Boston sank 51.2% of its 3-pointers.
Warriors former 2-time MVP Stephen Curry hit 6 first-quarter 3-pointers and scored a game-high 34 points, but Golden State’s offense fell flat in the fourth quarter, being outscored 40-16 by Boston.
Celtics got big efforts from C Al Horford and SG Derrick White, who shot a combined 11-for-16 from behind the arc, which made up for Jayson Tatum‘s off-shooting night. Tatum shot just 17.6% from the field (3-for-17) but dished out a game-high 13 assists to just 2 turnovers.
Celtics at Warriors odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:25 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Celtics +155 (bet $100 to win $155) | Warriors -190 (bet $190 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Celtics +4.5 (-108) | Warriors -4.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 214.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
Celtics at Warriors key injuries
Celtics
- C Robert Williams III (knee) – questionable
Warriors
- None
[tipico]
Celtics at Warriors picks and predictions
Prediction
Warriors 110, Celtics 102
Money line
This is an expensive ML, but we’re going to take the WARRIORS (-190).
This is a must-win for Golden State, and this feels like a series that’ll go the distance. Teams are 14-2 straight up (SU) in NBA Finals history when hosting Game 2 after losing Game 1. Also, the Warriors are 38-10 SU as home favorites while the Celtics (+155) are just 10-16 SU as road underdogs.
The Celtics got unexpected points out of Horford and White; whereas Warriors guards Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole both struggled in Game 1. Boston’s role players should come down to earth in Game 2, and Golden State’s figure to have a bounce-back effort.
My hesitancy with laying the points with the Warriors is the Celtics are 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 games as road underdogs, and there’s a suspicious line freeze in the betting market for the spread (according to Pregame.com) while Golden State’s ML has been steamed up.
If your standard unit is $100 then BET that on the WARRIORS (-190) to earn a profit of $52.63 i.e. “flat” bet Golden State in Game 2.
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Against the spread
LEAN WARRIORS -4.5 (-112) based on the aforementioned rationale.
Golden State is 27-19-2 ATS as home favorites but just 4-9-1 ATS as 3-to-4.5-point favorites; whereas Boston is 24-5-1 ATS on the road vs. teams with a winning record.
However, teams that win the game outright typically cover the spread, and the Warriors -4.5 (-112) is very doable considering how many 3-pointers each team attempts per game.
Another reason for the LEAN to the WARRIORS -4.5 (-112) is to save some betting bandwidth for the Under, which has some value.
Over/Under
BET 1 unit on the UNDER 214.5 (-108).
There’s reverse line movement headed south of the total. According to Tipico Sportsbook, nearly 80% of the action is on the Over 214.5 (-112), but Celtics-Warriors Game 2 opened with a 216-point total. This suggests oddsmakers are daring us to bet the Over – so let’s go in the other direction.
Also, these teams are the best 2 defenses in the NBA and will adjust to their opponent’s impressive Game 1 3-point shooting performances. The Warriors and Celtics have a combined 14-25-1 O/U record when playing with 2-3 days of rest so adjustments will be made by both coaching staffs.
The UNDER 214.5 (-108) is my favorite bet in Game 2.
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