The bad news for NBA bettors: There’s only one series left to wager on this season. The good news: There are hundreds of ways to bet on the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors.
Besides individual props, each game brings a bevy of team-specific props that go far beyond the mere side and total.
Props.com breaks down five Celtics vs Warriors team props for Thursday’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Odds via DraftKings and FanDuel as of 11:30 a.m. ET on June 2.
Celtics Vs Warriors Team Props: Game 1
Boston Celtics
The prop: First-quarter moneyline
The odds: Warriors -135/Celtics +115
Public perception certainly seems to be lining up behind the Warriors heading into the NBA Finals, if early Game 1 betting splits are any indication.
Golden State still boasts the core of the team that went to five straight Finals and won three titles from 2015-19, while the Celtics are making their first Finals appearance since 2010. The Warriors have also had a much easier time in these playoffs, being pushed to six games only once. Conversely, the Celtics are coming off back-to-back seven-game series.
But there’s a reason for that. Boston has dispatched three teams — Miami, Milwaukee and Brooklyn —that are arguably better than any team Golden State has faced so far (Dallas, Memphis and Denver). Translation: The Celtics will not be rolling over for the Warriors.
“Rest vs. rust” is a perennial sports debate. Golden State has had a full week off after eliminating Dallas in five games, while Boston had only three days off after Sunday’s down-to-the-wire Game 7 win in Miami. But those three days must have felt like a monthlong vacation for the Celtics, who played a playoff game against a top-tier opponent every other day from May 7-29.
Here’s betting that Boston is energized and grabs the lead after the first quarter of Game 1 against a Warriors team that might take a while to adjust to a higher level of competition.
(Note: You could take Boston +1 at -110 juice in the first quarter, but we like the plus-money odds on the C’s to win the opening 12 minutes outright.)
Golden State Warriors
The prop: Third-quarter spread
The odds: Warriors -1.5 (-105)/Celtics +1.5 (-115)
And here’s where those aforementioned Warriors adjustments come in to play. Golden State won the third quarter in the first three games of the Dallas series, first three games against Memphis and three of the first four against Denver.
The Warriors very well could be trailing heading into the locker room at halftime. But they should be settled in coming out of the break and playing at peak level. Laying a short number on Golden State to win the third quarter screams value.
Wire To Wire
The prop: Will the same team lead after all four quarters?
The odds: Warriors +220/Celtics +460/Neither (“Any Other Result”) -138
This prop builds off the first two. These NBA playoffs have been blowout-heavy, but Celtics-Warriors should be a competitive series with competitive games.
This FanDuel “Wire To Wire” prop is a wager on whether the same team will have the lead at the end of every quarter. If that doesn’t happen — including if any quarter ends in a tie — then “Any Other Result” wins at -138.
Let’s bet on neither team cruising to a lopsided victory in Game 1.
Golden State Warriors
The prop: Team with most rebounds
The odds: Warriors -140/Celtics +110
Golden State has dominated the rebounding battle in the past two rounds, outrebounding Dallas and Memphis in all but one game in each series. Those two games in which the Warriors were on the wrong end of the rebounding battle? They essentially no-showed because they had a commanding series lead — Game 4 vs. the Mavericks (leading the series 3-0) and Game 5 vs. the Grizzlies (leading the series 3-1).
The Celtics lost the rebounding battle in six of seven games against Milwaukee and four of seven against Miami. Let’s back the Warriors to take care of business on the glass at home in Game 1.
Boston Celtics
The prop: Team with the most made 3-pointers
The odds: Warriors -135/Celtics +105
Golden State’s reputation is built around the shooting prowess of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but the Warriors have won without relying on the 3-pointer in these playoffs. The Mavericks made more 3s than the Warriors in every game of their series, and the Grizzlies bested Golden State in three of six (with one tie).
The Celtics made more 3s in 10 of their 14 games against the Bucks and Heat, with one tie. Boston has a strong perimeter defense, and its offensive game plan likely will involve taking a lot of shots from beyond the arc.
At a plus-price, the Celtics to make more 3s in Game 1 is another strong value bet.
