The Golden State Warriors will face the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday at Chase Center. Golden State is a four-point underdog. There are a total of 211.5 points.
The Celtics took the court against the Heat in their last game and won by a score of 100-96 to wrap up the series in seven games. When it comes to fouls, the Celtics had 26 while the Heat had only 8. They also made six attempts from beyond the arc, out of a total of thirty. Miami made 16 of 24 free throw attempts for a 66.7 percent conversion rate. Miami also grabbed 37 rebounds (7 offensive, 30 defensive) and had 6 blocks. Miami had a total of 44 assists and 16 steals throughout the game. Boston’s defence enabled its opponent to shoot 42.0 percent from the field, on 37 of 88 attempts. In this game, they also handed out 22 dimes while forcing 5 turnovers and grabbing 4 steals. They pulled down 51 rebounds, with 10 of them being offensive in nature. The Celtics made 19 of 24 free throw attempts, for a 79.2 percent success rate. Boston finished the game with a 41.2 percent field goal percentage (35 of 85) and 11 of 32 3-point attempts converted.
Boston has a 51-31 overall record heading into this matchup. They score 111.8 points per game, good for 12th in the league, and shoot 46.6 percent from the field. The Celtics are 35.6 percent from three-point range (1,085 of 3,044) and 81.6 percent from the free throw line. Boston is averaging 46.1 rebounds per game and has 2,036 assists this season, which ranks them 14th in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. Turning the ball over 13.6 times a game costs them possession, and they commit 18.5 fouls per game as a team.
On defence, the Celtics force 13.8 turnovers per game and draw 19.4 fouls per game. They allow 33.9 percent of shots from downtown and rank first in the league in points per game allowed (104.5). The Celtics allow a 43.4 percent field goal percentage (3,137 of 7,221) and 43.7 boards per game as a team. With 1,773 assists conceded thus far this season, they are now placed first in the league in terms of giving up assists to the opposition.
When the Warriors last stepped on the court to close off their series with the Mavericks, they won by a score of 120-110. In this game, the Warriors had 51 total rebounds, with 37 defensive and 14 offensive. They also turned the ball over 10 times and had 6 steals in the game. In this game, the Mavericks were called for seven personal fouls, resulting in 16 Warriors free throw attempts. They made 16 of the 16 free throws, for a percentage of 100.0 percent. Golden State attempted 14 of 36 baskets from beyond the arc and made 14 of them (38.9 percent ). After all was said and done, the Warriors shot 45 for 88 from the field, good for a 51.1 percent shooting percentage. The Warriors allowed the Mavericks to score 37 out of 82 points from the floor, giving them a 45.1 percent shooting percentage in this game. They shot 17 of 42 from 3-point range and 19 of 25 from the charity stripe to complete the game with a 40.5 percent 3-point shooting percentage (76.0 percent ). In terms of glass cleanup, Golden State enabled Dallas to get a total of 28. (6 offensive).
Golden State’s defence allows 33.9 percent of 3-point attempts (1,000 of 2,948), and opponents make 75.9% of their free throw attempts. They give up 22.9 assists and 42.6 rebounds per game, which ranks them second and fifth in the NBA, respectively. The Warriors are rated third in basketball in terms of points per game surrendered, with 105.5. They force opponents into 14.5 turnovers a game and allow opponents to shoot 43.8 percent from the field (2nd in the league).
Pick: Take Golden State (-4)
