The 2022 NBA Finals have yet to produce a game where the margin of victory has been single digits, but it's still been an exciting series that has teetered back and forth. The Boston Celtics held 1-0 and 2-1 leads, but the Golden State Warriors have responded with back-to-back victories to take a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 on Thursday in Boston. Golden State overcame an 0-for-9 night from the 3-point line by Stephen Curry to win Game 5 at home and is now looking to close things out for its fourth championship in the last eight years.
However, the Celtics will hope to tap into what is sure to be a raucous crowd at TD Garden for a 9 p.m. ET tipoff. Boston is listed as the 3.5-point favorite, while the over-under is listed at 210 in the latest Celtics vs. Warriors odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Before making any Celtics vs. Warriors picks or NBA predictions, you need to see what SportsLine NBA expert Zack Cimini has to say.
A Las Vegas handicapper who's never afraid to buck conventional wisdom, Cimini excels in multiple sports. Over the past 36 NBA picks, Cimini is 23-14, returning almost $800 to $100 players. He is also on an amazing 39-18-1 run with his last 58 against-the-spread picks involving the Celtics, returning almost $1,700 to $100 players.
Now, Cimini has set his sights on Warriors vs. Celtics, and just locked in his picks and NBA Finals predictions. You can head to SportsLine to see his picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Celtics vs. Warriors:
- Celtics vs. Warriors spread: Celtics -3.5
- Celtics vs. Warriors over-under: 210 points
- Celtics vs. Warriors money line: Celtics -170, Warriors +145
- Celtics vs. Warriors tickets: See tickets at StubHub
- GS: The Warriors are 12-9 against the spread in playoff games
- BOS: The Celtics are 14-9 against the spread in playoff games
Why the Warriors can cover
Despite Curry scoring just 16 points on 7-for-22 shooting from the floor and 0-for-9 from the 3-point line in Game 5, Curry is still averaging 30.6 points per game in this series and shooting 41.7 percent from beyond the arc. It seems unlikely that the greatest shooter in NBA history will have quite as bad of a performance in Game 6.
And after major contributions from Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in Game 5, a Curry bounceback could be crippling to the Celtics. Boston has been held to 100 points or fewer in three of the five games in the NBA Finals 2022 with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combining to shoot just 39.0 percent from the floor for the series. It's clear that Golden State has a solid gameplan for those two stars and even an average night from Curry could be enough to end this series given how the rest of the squad is playing.
Why the Celtics can cover
Boston had not lost consecutive games since March prior to Monday night's loss, so the Celtics have been one of the most resilient teams in the NBA. They have gone 27-12 following a loss this season and are 7-1 in that role in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Golden State has only covered the spread twice in its last eight road games.
The Celtics left points on the board in Game 5, missing 10 free throws and turning the ball over 18 times. Golden State converted those turnovers into 22 points, so self-inflicted wounds were Boston's biggest issue. The Celtics should play a much cleaner game in front of their home crowd, providing value on them as small favorites in Game 6.
How to make Warriors vs. Celtics picks
For Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals, Cimini is leaning over on the point total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing what it is, and which side of the Warriors vs. Celtics spread to back, at SportsLine.
So who wins Warriors vs. Celtics? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Warriors vs. Celtics spread you need to jump on Thursday, all from the expert that has crushed his NBA picks, and find out.
