Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics will look to right the ship on Tuesday night as they travel to the Bay Area to take on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. The Celtics had a rough February, but Brad Stevens will have them ready for a prime-time game of this magnitude. On Golden State's side of the ball, this will be the first of a three-game homestand after they finished their road trip with a win in Philly on Saturday. Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney are out, while Andre Iguodala is questionable. Tipoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET from Oracle Arena. Sportsbooks list the Warriors as 6.5-point home favorites, down from an open of nine, while the Over-Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 227.5 in the latest Warriors vs. Celtics odds. Before you make any Warriors vs. Celtics picks or NBA predictions, see what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, is crushing its NBA picks. It entered Week 21 of the 2018-19 NBA season with a sterling 234-178 record on all top-rated picks, returning more than $4,000 to anybody following them. And it has been particularly red-hot on its A-rated NBA picks against the spread, entering Week 21 on a strong 52-37 run. Anybody who has followed it is way up.
Now it has locked in on Celtics vs. Warriors. We can tell you it's leaning under, and it also says one side of the spread cashes in over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see that one at SportsLine.
The model is well aware of how important it is to have DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green playing in Tuesday's game. Those three have missed a handful of contests over the past month, but in games all three have played, the Warriors boast an eye-popping 13-2 record. Their offense is simply too much for opposing defenses to handle when healthy, and a Boston team that has lost five of its last six games seems unlikely to slow Golden State down.
Boston has not traveled well this season either, posting just an 11-18-1 record against the spread away from home. The Warriors have already beaten the Celtics in Boston, and given the current state of both teams, it makes sense that Vegas has them listed as favorites on Tuesday.
But just because Curry and company benefit from home-court advantage doesn't mean they'll cover the Warriors vs. Celtics spread on Tuesday.
The model is also well aware that while the Warriors have been winning games, they have also been downright dreadful against the spread this season. Overall, they have the NBA's worst cover rate at just 40.3 percent.
Vegas clearly has been overvaluing the defending champs, and that has been even more apparent when playing at home. The Warriors have covered the spread in just 36.7 percent of their games at Oracle Arena this season, including a 1-6 record in home games over the past month. Boston, meanwhile, has covered in five straight visits to Oracle.
Who wins Celtics vs. Warriors ? And which side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Celtics vs. Warriors spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
