The NBA Finals are the spandex of championship sporting events. Seriously. If the championship series goes the distance, it begins June 2 and ends June 19 — seven games stretched across 18 days. So you might see Celtics vs Warriors odds for a while, beginning with Thursday’s Game 1 numbers.
Golden State is favored at home in the opener, and the Warriors are also series favorites in the NBA Finals odds market.
Props.com dives into Celtics vs Warriors odds for Game 1. Check back for updates through Thursday’s tipoff.
Celtics Vs Warriors Game 1 Odds
| Matchup | Spread | Total | Moneyline | Series Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtics vs Warriors | Warriors -3.5 | 213.5 | Warriors -160/Celtics +135 | Warriors -155/Celtics +125 |
Odds via PointsBet USA and updated as of 4:30 p.m. ET June 2.
Boston Celtics vs Golden State Warriors (9 p.m. ET)
UPDATE 4:30 P.M. ET THURSDAY: Golden State has been painted to -3.5 in PointsBet USA’s Celtics vs Warriors odds market, with the exception of two minutes this morning. The line went to Warriors -4, then -4.5, before reverting back to -3.5, all in the span of 120 seconds. The Dubs opened -3.5 late Sunday night.
Point-spread ticket count and dollars are both in the 3/1 range on the favored Warriors. And bettors are fine laying -160 on the moneyline with Golden State, with ticket count 3/1 and money about 2.5/1 on the Warriors.
The total opened at 211 and steadily climbed to 214 by early this afternoon, before backing up a notch to 213.5 in the last hour. The Over is seeing 69% of tickets, but 57% of cash is on the Under.
UPDATE 7:30 P.M. ET WEDNESDAY: TwinSpires Sportsbook opened Golden State -3.5 and hasn’t budged off that number in the Celtics vs Warriors odds market. The Warriors are netting 65% of early tickets and 58% of early dollars on the spread.
“The public is laying the points,” TwinSpires director of retail sports Zachary Lucas said, while noting Warriors moneyline — currently -167 — is also getting attention. “It’s 3/1 money on Golden State moneyline.”
The total is up a point to 212.5, with tickets and money both in the 2/1 range on the Over.
Lucas noted one of the more popular prop markets is the NBA Finals series spread. Bettors seem to think the series won’t go beyond six games.
“Golden State -1.5 (+130) series spread is our biggest liability in that market,” Lucas said.
UPDATE 2:30 P.M. ET TUESDAY: Golden State is in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in the last eight seasons, after dispatching the Dallas Mavericks in five games. The Warriors (65-33 SU, 50-44-4 ATS) capped the Western Conference finals with a 120-110 win laying 6.5 points at home on May 26. The Dubs are seeking their fourth championship in this stretch, having won it all in 2015, ’17 and ’18.
Stephen Curry and Co. are a perfect 9-0 SU and 7-2 ATS at home in these playoffs. Golden State is also on a 5-1 SU and ATS run entering Game 1 against Boston. The Warriors have also cashed in their last four as a favorite, and they like their rest, going 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 after a break of three or more days.
About the only negative in ATS trends for Golden State: An 0-3-1 mark in its last four NBA Finals games. The Warriors also lost three of those four games outright, at the hands of Toronto in the 2018-19 NBA Finals, which the Raptors won in six games.
Meanwhile, Boston hasn’t reached the NBA Finals since 2010, but obviously has a rich history. The Celtics are making their 22nd Finals trip, and they’ve won a 17 NBA titles, tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most NBA championships.
Boston, seeded second in the East, needed all seven games to overcome No. 1 Miami. In Sunday’s Game 7, the Celtics led by double digits several times, including 97-85 with 3:35 left in the game. But the C’s had to hang on late, notching a 100-96 victory as 3-point road favorites.
The Celtics (63-37 SU, 56-42-2 ATS) have been solid on the road this postseason, going 7-2 SU and 7-1-1 ATS. Boston is on further ATS upswings of 21-9-1 overall, 20-5-1 on the highway, and 12-3-2 as an underdog. But lately, the Celts haven’t followed up well on point-spread success, with a 2-5-1 ATS mark in their last eight games following a spread-cover.
These two teams split their two meetings this season. Interestingly, the road team won both games SU, while Boston went 1-0-1 ATS. On Dec. 17, Golden State nabbed a 111-107 road win, pushing as a 4-point chalk. On March 16, Boston returned the favor with a 110-88 road rout catching 1.5 points. The Celtics are 4-1 SU/4-0-1 ATS in the last five Boston-Golden State clashes.
Furthermore, the C’s are 8-1 ATS on their last nine treks to Golden State.
The Over/Under split in this season’s two Celtics-Warriors meetings. But the Under has been the play between these two for several seasons, going 11-2 in the past 13 meetings. The Under is also 8-1 in the last nine Celts-Warriors matchups at Golden State. Boston is also on a 3-1 under uptick entering the NBA Finals.
All that said, three of the Warriors’ last four games against Dallas went Over. The Over is also 10-4 in Golden State’s last 14 NBA Finals games, and the Over is 11-5 in Boston’s last 16 getting points.
Celtics vs Warriors Opening Odds & Action
Late Sunday night, DraftKings opened Golden State as a 3.5-point chalk in the Celtics vs Warriors odds market. That number has seen only a couple of price adjustments, starting at Warriors -3.5 (-105), then going to the flat -110 on the way to -115 Monday afternoon.
Early point-spread action is overwhelmingly on the Warriors, with tickets running 3/1 and money almost 9/1 on Golden State. Bettors don’t seem to mind the Dubs’ -160 moneyline price, either, with early tickets and money 2/1 on Golden State.
The total is up a point from 210.5 to 211.5, with early ticket count 2/1 and early dollars 3/1 on the Over.
Injury Report
Boston center Robert Williams III (knee) is questionable. Golden State’s starting lineup is healthy, but some notable reserves have issues. Point guard Gary Payton II (elbow), who missed most of May, is expected to suit up tonight. Forward Otto Porter Jr. (foot) is questionable for Game 1. Andrew Iguodala (neck) hasn’t played since the first-round series against Denver. Iguodala is questionable, though he’s apparently close to being able to return.
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