Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics Predictions, Odds, Picks

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

Dec. 17, 2021

Michael Crosson
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

Nationally televised NBA coverage will resume on Friday night with a heavyweight non-conference bout between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics. Coverage begins from TD Garden at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Score Prediction

Warriors 116, Celtics 108

Best Bets

Warriors -3 (-110) at Atlantis

Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics Predictions

After finishing seventh in the East with a record of 36-36 last year, Boston stumbled out to a surprisingly slow start to the new season, as the Celtics kicked things off with losses in eight of their first 15 games – despite being favored in ten of those matchups.

Boston still hasn’t gained much ground since their 7-8 SU start though, considering the Celtics enter Friday’s contest riding another pedestrian 7-6 SU run – yet stands as slightly more impressive, as it includes upset victories over the Bucks, Blazers, and Lakers.

On the other hand, Golden State also jumped out to an excellent start to this season, as the Warriors wrapped up the month of November at an impressive 18-3 SU mark – with 14 of those victories coming by a double-digit margin.

The opening days of December have been a little shaky for Golden State though, but surely nothing to worry about, as the Warriors enter Friday’s contest riding a relatively average 5-2 SU run – despite being favored in all seven of those contests.

I’ll lay the points with Golden State here, as the Celtics haven’t looked great lately, sitting at 1-3 SU and ATS while averaging just 105 PPG across their latest four-game stretch – which doesn’t bode well with an offensive powerhouse like the Warriors coming to town.

Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics Betting Odds

More Odds | Futures Odds

Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics Betting Resources

• Matchup: Pacific vs. Atlantic
• Date: Friday, December 17, 2021
• Venue: TD Garden
• Location: Boston, Massachusetts
• TV-Time: ESPN - 7:30 p.m. ET

• Injury Report

Golden State Warriors Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 23-5
• ATS: 18-9-1
• O/U: 7-20-1

After finishing ninth in the West with a record of 39-33 last year, Golden State jumped out to a much better to the new season, as the Warriors opened with wins in 18 of their first 20 games – with their only two losses across that span coming by four points or less.

Golden State has slightly cooled off as of late though, considering the Warriors enter Friday’s contest riding a 5-3 SU and 3-5 ATS stretch – with all three of their SU losses across that window coming by five points or more.

Boston Celtics Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 14-14
• ATS: 15-13
• O/U: 11-16-1

After opening the year with a head-scratching 2-5 SU skid, Boston appeared to quickly find its stride in the early stages of November, as the Celtics bounced back with a solid 9-5 SU mark across the ensuing 14-game window.

Boston has seemingly reverted to mediocrity in December though, considering the Celtics enter Friday’s contest following losses in four of the last six games – with two of those defeats coming by 15+ PTS.

(AP)The Celtics are 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in their last five matchups against Golden State.

Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics Head-to-Head

The Celtics swept a two-game regular-season set against Golden State last year, with both matchups going over the total set for Friday’s affair at an average of 225.5 PPG.

Key Players to Watch

• GSW: Steph Curry - PG (26.9 PPG, 5.5 REB, 6.1 AST)
• GSW: Draymond Green - PF (8.3 PPG, 8 REB, 7.3 AST)
• BOS: Jayson Tatum - SF (26.2 PPG, 8.6 REB, 3.6 AST)
• BOS: Dennis Schroder - PG (17.1 PPG, 3.6 REB, 4.8 AST)

Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics Betting Conclusion

After picking up back-to-back road wins over Indiana and New York, the Warriors will seek their third straight road victory as they travel to Boston as 2.5-point favorites over the Celtics on Friday night – marking the fourth straight road matchup Golden State has been favored in.

I’ll lay the points with Golden State here, as the Celtics are just 4-6 SU across their latest ten-game stretch, while averaging just 108.4 PPG across that same window – which typically isn’t enough juice to hold off Steph Curry and company.

Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics Betting Trends

• The total has gone UNDER in nine of the last 11 Warriors' games.
• The total has gone UNDER in six of the last nine Celtics' games.
• The Celtics are 2-4 SU and 3-3 ATS across the last six games.
• The Celtics are 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in their last five matchups against Golden State.

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