The Boston Celtics (33-12 SU, 25-19-1 ATS) welcome the Golden State Warriors (22-22, 20-23-1) to TD Garden on Thursday with the hosts aiming for their eighth straight victory. The Celtics opened as the 5-point favorite with the total set at 237.5 points.
While Boston has certainly been the better team this season, Golden State has owned the matchup recently, winning five of the last six meetings between the two teams going back to last year’s NBA Finals. The UNDER is 5-1 in those six contests as well, so we could see a lower-scoring affair on Thursday.
Latest Betting Notes: Warriors
The Warriors picked up a win last time out, defeating the Washington Wizards 127-118 on Monday. Steph Curry led the charge with 41 points, Jordan Poole had 32 and four others finished in double digits in the win.
The 41-point outing was Curry’s first game with at least 40 points since he scored 50 against the Phoenix Suns back on November 16, while it was just his fourth such performance this season.
The Warriors were without Klay Thompson, who sat out to rest his knee but will be good to go for Thursday. Thompson has scored 20-plus in seven of his last eight games while averaging just under 30 points over that span.
Latest Betting Notes: Celtics
The Celtics stretched their win streak to seven games on Monday, topping the Charlotte Hornets 130-118. Jayson Tatum was a one-man show as he scored a season-high 51 points to lead the C’s to victory. Derrick White was Boston’s next-best scorer with just 19 points. Jaylen Brown missed his third straight contest with a groin injury and is listed as questionable for Thursday.
Tatum has been a consistent producer for the Celtics all season long, averaging at least 30 points per game through every month so far. The small forward has scored 30-plus points in five of his last six outings – a big reason why Boston has gone on another lengthy win streak.
Warriors Player Prop: Thompson OVER 24 Points (+117)
Thompson has been on a tear in recent weeks, leading Golden State with 31 points per game in the month of January, thanks in large part to a 54-point showing against the Atlanta Hawks on January 2. He’s shooting just under 50 percent from the field over that span and a whopping 46 percent from three-point range.
The shooting guard has scored at least 24 points in seven of his last eight outings so he looks like a lock to hit the OVER in Thursday’s matchup.
Celtics Player Prop: Tatum OVER 35 Points (+117)
With Brown likely sidelined again, Tatum will be looked upon to carry the load offensively for the C’s – and that’s a role he usually flourishes in. Tatum is averaging 34.7 points per game in the three contests since Brown left the lineup and we should expect more of the same in this one.
Tatum has scored 35-plus in 13 of his 43 games this season so it’s certainly not that rare an occurrence for the Celtics star. He’ll also be facing the NBA’s fifth-worst defense as the Warriors are allowing 117.9 points per game, so he’ll have a great shot at another high-scoring performance.
