Who will grab the next lead?

The Boston Celtics take on the Golden State Warriors for the first time in front of their own crowd in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

The home side were beaten in the last meeting but won the opener. With another win, they would now take the lead in the series again.

However, the home bonus could only be used to a limited extent recently: For seven games now at TD Garden, the hosts have alternated wins and losses. Should the series continue, another home win would now be on the agenda.

Boston Celtics – Statistics & current form

The record champions won the first game of the Finals thanks to a very strong fourth quarter, but in the last meeting it was the Warriors who triumphed this time thanks to another particularly strong third quarter.

Overall, however, the two games have shown that, as expected, two teams are on an equal playing footing. Head Coach Ime Udoka will again rely on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the forward play.

The two players combined to score 45 points in the last game, just over half of Boston’s total. Tatum in particular looked improved in scoring after a disappointing opening twelve points.

Overall, however, the 24-year-old is having a very strong postseason. Only seven players have averaged more points per game than the forward in the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Tatum has scored just over 26 points so far and is only slightly below his value from the regular season. In addition, he has increased his assists with an average of 6.1, and against the Warriors he had eight so far.

More than 33.5 points and assists by Tatum?

In view of these balances, the odds on at least 34 points and assists for successful finishes by his teammates are additionally a good idea in the duel between Boston and Golden State.

In the first home game of the NBA Finals, this year’s All-Star will certainly step it up a notch. The basketball players from the East also know that the recent defeat came about mainly because of the numerous turnovers.

There were 19 in total and the opponent scored a whopping 33 points as a result of these ball losses, 18 more than the Celtics, who only managed a dozen ball recoveries. Above all, the number of 15 steals on the part of the opponent was unusually high.

For comparison: On average, the home side does not have to accept more than half of this value during the postseason.

Projected Starting Five of Boston Celtics:
Tatum – Brown – Horford – Smart – Williams III

Golden State Warriors – Statistics & current form

The Californians quickly got over the first home defeat in this year’s playoffs and won the second game clearly with 107:88. The match-winner was Stephen Curry. After 34 points, the guard once again delivered the best output of all players on the court with 29 points this time.

If he continues to play at this high level, the question of the “Finals MVP” will probably be answered. In addition to his usual strong performances from downtown, as can be seen from his average of six threes per final game, Curry is also convincing on the defensive end.

Especially as a stealer: He has recorded three steals in each of the two games so far. A number that he also managed in the last game of the previous Finals in the Western Conference against Dallas.

Curry again with more than one steal?

With that in mind, betting on more than one steal by the 34-year-old on top in Game 3 between Boston and Golden State on 9 June is worth considering.

Head coach Steve Kerr can also continue to rely on Draymond Green’s fighting will to win. The power forward once again convinced as an emotional leader on the Warriors’ side.

However, it is a fine line, because Green was almost sent off early in the last game due to a second technical foul.

A danger that exists with Green as a matter of principle, as his aggressive style of play on the defensive end not infrequently comes perilously close to unsportsmanlike.

Thompson remains inconsistent

Klay Thompson has not really arrived in the finals yet. After his outstanding performance in the last game against the Mavericks with 32 points, he has not yet scored more than eleven and 15 points against Boston.

This is him operating well below his average numbers from the regular season and the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Predicted Golden State Warriors Starting Five:
Curry – Thompson – Green – Wiggins – Looney

Boston Celtics – Golden State Warriors Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

Boston’s last home game against the six-time champions was last December. On that occasion, Kerr’s troops narrowly prevailed 111:017.

Not a new pattern, as the home side have only won a third of their past nine home meetings against the Warriors.

Boston Celtics – Golden State Warriors Tip

For the battle between the Celtics and Golden State Warriors within Game 3, our tip includes more than 28.5 points by Stephen Curry on the visitors’ side.

The point guard is acting in his usual strength in the NBA Finals and exceeded the selected limit in both games so far. While his “Splash Brother” Klay Thompson continues to lack consistency, the “Chef” has been reliable in scoring.

As a three-time champion with the Californians, Curry is also very familiar with the special challenge of finals games. In the witch’s cauldron known as the TD Garden, the veteran should therefore once again emerge as a dominant player for Golden State.

The seven-time All-Star can also be seen to be very comfortable again on this biggest possible stage in the NBA after two years in which the Warriors were not represented in the postseason. Therefore, he rather turns the great mental strain of the finals into an extra motivation. In the third game of the series between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors, the forecast of over 28.5 points by Curry brings odds of 1.85.