Warriors vs. Celtics Predictions, Odds

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

6 minute read

Apr. 17, 2021

by Jonathan Willis
NBA Expert
VegasInsider.com

The Golden State Warriors received some dreadful news earlier this week when it was announced that No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman would miss the rest of the season after tearing the meniscus in his right knee.

Wiseman underwent surgery on Thursday and will return next year, but that leaves the Warriors without their most talented big man for the stretch run.

They are currently 28-28 and need all the help they can get in order to return to the playoffs. Golden State has won four in a row thanks to Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr hopes he can keep it going against the Boston Celtics this Saturday.

Warriors vs. Celtics Betting Resources

Matchup: Eastern vs. Western Conference
Expert Picks: Vegas Insiders
Venue: TD Garden
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Date: Saturday, Apr. 17, 2021
Time: 4:40 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Bet: BetMGM | betrivers |FanDuel |bet365 |DraftKings |Best Sportsbooks

Betting Odds - Warriors vs. Celtics

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The Celtics return home from a 3-0 road trip looking for the season sweep of the Warriors on Saturday. (AP)

Warriors vs. Celtics Current Form-Last Game

It’s been a disappointing year for Boston. The Celtics had won at least 48 games for five straight years coming into this season. However, Boston won’t be able to continue that streak as the Celtics are 30-26 with 16 games left to play in the regular season.

They have been playing better of late though. Boston was two games under .500 at the start of April. The Celtics have since won seven of their last eight games with the only loss coming against Philadelphia.

The Celtics are on a five-game winning streak, and a win over the Warriors would give this team their longest winning streak yet this year.

Boston went on the road and beat Denver, Portland, and the Los Angeles Lakers this week. In the Celtics’ most recent win, they beat the Lakers, 121-113 on Thursday night thanks to a huge performance from Jaylen Brown.

Brown had more than twice as many points as any other player with 40 points and finished with a +36.

Golden State went 2-8 over a 10-game stretch from late March to last Friday. The Warriors fell to four games under .500 as a result of the skid, but they have since responded with a four-game winning streak to get back to .500.

The Warriors have won all four of those games by at least nine points because Curry has exploded. He has scored at least 30 points in nine straight games.

Curry went off for 38 points in the earlier meeting between these teams this season. However, that wasn’t enough for the Warriors to get the win.

The Celtics had a sizable rebounding advantage although Curry and Draymond Green each had 11 boards.

The Warriors knocked off the Cavaliers 119-101 in their most recent game on Thursday night. Curry once again led all scorers, while Andrew Wiggins added 23 points and Juan Toscano-Anderson scored 20 points.

Warriors vs. Celtics Head-to-Head

Feb. 2, 2021 - Celtics 111 at Warriors 107, Boston -2.5, Under 227

(SU-Straight Up, ATS - Against the Spread, OU - Over-Under)

Golden State Warriors Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats (2020-2021)

Overall: 28-28 SU, 27-29 ATS, 23-33 OU
Road: 11-18 SU, 11-18 ATS, 11-18 OU

Curry is putting the Warriors on his back. He is now averaging 30.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 5.9 APG this season thanks to his absurd performance in April.

The two-time NBA MVP is averaging 39.0 PPG while making 55.6% of his field goals and 47.7% of his threes.

Wiggins is the second-leading scorer on the Warriors. He is averaging 18.1 PPG, but he doesn’t play to his height with just 4.8 RPG. Golden State will need him to stay around the basket more with Wiseman out, as the only other strong rebounder on the team is Green. Wiggins is making 47.5% of his field goals and 38.7% of his threes.

It’s been a strange season for Green. He is only averaging 6.6 PPG, but his 6.6 RPG and 8.5 APG lead the team. Although Green is no longer confident in his shooting, Kerr leaves him on the court because of his leadership and all-around play in every other area. He is only making 25% of his threes this month.

Toscano-Anderson isn’t used often, but we might see a lot of him on Saturday night. He had 16 points against the Celtics the last time these teams met, and he had a season-high 20 points on Thursday.

Boston Celtics Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats (2020-2021)

Overall: 30-26 SU, 27-29 ATS, 28-28 OU
Home: 17-10 SU, 14-13 ATS, 11-16 OU

Jayson Tatum set a career-high with 53 points against Minnesota last Friday. Tatum recently said he is not quite 100% recovered from COVID, but he seems to be nearing that number. He is making 50.3% of his field goals and 41.2% of his threes in April, and he is averaging 27.5 PPG and 8.1 RPG.

Brown has been superb too. He is averaging 24.8 PPG and 7.0 RPG in April, and he is even more efficient than Tatum from the floor.

Brown is making 54.3% of his field goals and 44.8% of his threes this month. Turnovers can be a bit of an issue for the guard, but he more than makes up for those mistakes.

The biggest issue the Celtics have is that they don’t have a third star to pair with Tatum and Brown. They previously hoped that Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving would lead the Celtics back to greatness, and now they have pinned their hopes on Kemba Walker.

While Walker is a consummate teammate, he hasn’t been a very efficient shooter. Walker is hitting just 40% of his field goals and 34.4% of his triples.

Marcus Smart can be a real difference maker. He is averaging 13.4 PPG and leads the team with 5.6 APG. He is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, and he will have his hands full with Curry.

Key Injuries

Golden State Warriors

SF Kelly Oubre, Jr.: Wrist - Questionable
C James Wiseman: Knee - Out
PF Eric Paschall: Hip - Out

Boston Celtics

C Robert Williams: Knee - Out
SG Evan Fournier: Illness - Out