Fresh off an impressive victory in Miami, the still short-handed Boston Celtics will look to avoid a classic letdown Thursday night as they host the lowly Golden State Warriors. Boston triumphed 109-101 against the Heat on Tuesday to keep pace with the division-leading Toronto Raptors, and is a heavy favorite against a Warriors team that owns an NBA-worst 10-38 record.
- Date/Time: January 30, 8 p.m. ET
- Arena: TD Garden
- TV Coverage: TNT
- Sportsbook Odds: Celtics -14 | O/U 215
- Warriors vs Celtics Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Celtics opened as whopping 14-point favorites, just the sixth time this season they’ve given away double-digit points. The total kicked off at 215 but can be found as high as 219 at some sportsbooks.
Golden State News & Notes
What can you say about the most successful NBA team of the previous decade? The Warriors continue to stake their claim to the No. 1 slot in this summer’s NBA draft, with just one victory to their credit since the end of December. And their last three defeats have all come by double digits, including back-to-back home losses to Utah and Indiana.
All that losing makes it difficult to know whether you can trust any Warriors player on a team prop; after all, when things get out of hand, the starters tend to see less action. But if you’re going to roll with a Golden State player, take D’Angelo Russell – he leads the team in scoring (24.0 ppg) and is averaging a robust 28.8 points over his past five games.
Boston News & Notes
The Celtics have been a mostly reliable betting option as a double-digit favorite this season, going a perfect 5-0 SU and 3-2 ATS in five games in that situation. But if they hope to extend their perfect run when giving away 10 or more points, they’ll need to do it without the services of veteran center Enes Kanter, who will miss his fourth consecutive game with a right hip contusion.
But while the Celtics might not miss Kanter too much, they’d no doubt like to see Jayson Tatum return soon. Tatum is listed as questionable for Thursday with a groin injury, though head coach Brad Stevens expects Tatum to come back within the next couple of games at the latest. Tatum ranks second on the team in scoring (21.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.9).
Betting Pick: Celtics ATS
Even with Tatum questionable and Kanter sidelined again, the Celtics have more than enough talent on both ends of the court to send the visiting Warriors packing with ease.
- Golden State is 1-14 SU in its last 15 games.
- Boston is 15-5 SU in its last 20 home games.
- The UNDER is 10-4 in Boston’s last 14 games vs Western Conference opponents.
