GOLDEN STATE @ BOSTON (BOS -7.5, 229.5)
NBA ODDS, NBA PREDICTIONS, NBA PREVIEWS
WARRIORS @ CELTICS 11/5/24
The Boston forward Jaylen Brown's availability for Wednesday night's Celtics game against the Golden State Warriors was up in the air, but it does appear now that he will not play. Due to a strained hip flexor, Brown has missed Boston's last two games. After Boston defeated Atlanta 123-93 on Monday, coach Joe Mazzulla said Brown was day to day. With 28 points, 26 of which came in the first half, Jayson Tatum led the Boston offense against the Hawks. Tatum has led Boston in scoring in six of the Celtics last eight games.
This season, Brown is averaging 25.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. Since the 2023–24 season began, he has missed 14 games, and Boston has won each of them. While Brown will miss the game against the Warriors, Stephen Curry just recently came back from an ankle injury.
After missing three games, Curry made his comeback to the Golden State lineup in Monday's 125–112 victory over Washington. In that win, Curry finished with 24 points and six assists, extending Golden State's winning streak to four games. Curry was limited to 24 minutes against the Wizards. He likely will not be on a time limit against the Celtics.
With six wins in seven games, the Warriors are off to their best start in a season since winning 11 of their first 12 games back in 2021–2022. Golden State's road record now stands at 4-0 after their victory over Washington on Monday. The schedule has been pretty favorable for the Warriors, but it’s going to get much more difficult. That starts with this game against Boston.
In addition to the game against the Celtics, Golden State will play Cleveland and Oklahoma City this week. Those could be the top three teams in the NBA right now. The Warriors will need to improve on offense, according to head coach Steve Kerr. Interestingly, the Warriors are No. 3 in the league in scoring. Boston is No. 1.
On the other side of the ball, the Warriors are one of the top defensive teams in the NBA. They allow 103 points per game, which is the second-lowest in the league. They are also second in defensive efficiency.
Kerr was the head coach of Team USA at this year’s Summer Olympics. Team USA won a gold medal and Boston’s Tatum was a member of the team. Kerr benched Tatum during a number of games during the Olympics. Tatum is close with both Curry and Golden State’s Draymond Green. Wednesday night will be a reunion of sorts.
Golden State is 6-1 SU and ATS so far this season. The Warriors have won 5 of their last 7 against Boston and 13 of their last 15 on the road. Boston is 8-0 SU in its last eight games at home. The Celtics have won 18 of their last 20 games overall.
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COACH RICK FREE PICK:
UNDER 233.5
It’s two of the top-scoring teams in the NBA and most bettors will bet the Over. They see two high-scoring teams and automatically think of points. The issue is that both Boston and Golden State are pretty good defensive teams. The Warriors are second in the NBA in points allowed and No. 2 in defensive efficiency. The Celtics give up a few more points than Golden State, but they rank just behind Golden State in defensive efficiency. The results are this - Boston…Under in 4 of the last 5 and 6 of the last 7 against the Warriors. Eleven of the last 15 Warriors’ trips to Boston have resulted in an Under ticket winning.