Warriors, Celtics have gone in different directions since NBA Finals
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It’s hard to believe that the Golden State Warriors-Boston Celtics game on Thursday is a rematch of the NBA Finals about seven months ago. It feels like a lot longer than that, especially for the Warriors.
Golden State is 22-22, a surprising follow-up to their championship run. They have excuses for it. Injuries have hit them. There seems to be some championship hangover too.
On the other side, the Celtics look like a team that got very close to a title and wants to finish the job. Boston is 33-12, Jayson Tatum is in the MVP conversation, and it feels like the Celtics are the team to beat this season.
Maybe the Warriors will get it together and have a say in that. Thursday night might provide some insight into that. The Celtics are favored by 5.5 points at BetMGM.
The first time the teams met, the Warriors played one of their best games this season. They won 123-107 in San Francisco. Tatum struggled from the field, hitting 6-of-21 shots. The Warriors rarely missed, especially from inside the 3-point line. The Celtics are a good defensive team and the Warriors did what they wanted. Which is what happened in the NBA Finals last season.
Even with the Warriors at .500 this season, this is still one of the marquee games of the NBA regular season. It’s smart to assume Golden State will look like its normal self by playoff time. Perhaps Thursday will be a preview of what’s to come.
Here’s the first look at the sports betting slate for Thursday:
The rest of the NBA schedule
There are five NBA games in total on a fairly light night. Other than Warriors-Celtics, the highlights might be a pair of games with road favorites.
The Toronto Raptors travel to face the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have held their own without injured Karl-Anthony Towns. Toronto is a 4.5-point favorite. Then later on the Philadelphia…
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