After splitting the first two games in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors will be on a mission to reclaim home-court advantage in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics as the series shifts to the East coast for Game 3.
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has been at his scintillating best through the first two games of the series, and even Boston’s terrific defence has yet to find an answer. The Celtics must come up with big adjustments on both ends of the court if they hope to hold serve at home.
Read on below as SBOTOP previews this critical Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
Talking Points
Chef Curry cooking the Celtics
Stephen Curry has famously never won an NBA Finals MVP award in his glittering career, but that may be about to change this year. The 34-year-old has been hands down the best player of the series through the first two games as he is averaging 31.5 points while hitting 12-of-26 3-pointers, six of which came in his record-setting first quarter flurry of NBA 2022 highlights in Game 1.
Curry’s overall excellence has been crucial in the Warriors scoring quite efficiently against a brilliant Boston defence. Even when he doesn’t have the ball, the amount of attention he warrants because of his knockdown shooting creates good shots for the rest of his team-mates.
The Celtics could try to take the ball off Curry’s hands more aggressively in Game 3, but they will need to be careful since the Warriors are a terrific passing team that can exploit the added attention on Curry and turn it into more easy looks.
Jordan Poole bounced back from his poor Game 1 by scoring 17 points with 5 3-pointers, including a remarkable buzzer-beater from beyond half-court. Meanwhile, Klay Thompson will be keen to get back on track after his miserable 4-of-19 shooting performance in Game 2.
Celtics’ supporting cast needs to show up
As expected, Jayson Tatum bounced back from his poor shooting performance in Game 1 as he scored a team-high 28 points in Game 2. However, the rest of the Celtics struggled mightily as they shot a miserable 37.5 per cent from the field as a team.
Jaylen Brown went just 5-of-17, while Game 1 hero Al Horford went from 26 big points to just two in Game 2. Guards Marcus Smart and Derrick White also went cold as they went a combined 5-of-19.
The Warriors’ defence – led by Draymond Green – deserves a lot of credit for the Celtics role players’ struggles. They made smart adjustments after their fourth-quarter collapse in Game 1 and nullified many of the Celtics’ big offensive threats. The return of Gary Payton II also provided a big boost; the defensive specialist was +15 in his 25 minutes during Game 2.
Boston’s role players must now bounce back in Game 3 if they hope to hold home court. Horford, in particular, needs to provide much more offensive production for the Celtics to succeed. The 36-year-old’s role moving forward figures to be even more crucial with Robert Williams looking far from his best amid his knee issue.
History
The Celtics have not been all that consistent at home during these playoffs. They are a mere 5-4 at the TD Garden and are 3-4 since winning their first two games against the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. They lost Game 3 at home against the Miami Heat despite 40 points from Jaylen Brown.
As for the Warriors, they are 3-4 on the road in these playoffs, with three of those losses coming in close-out situations.
Although, the Warriors certainly know how to win on the road. Their ongoing streak of 26 straight playoff series with at least one road win is an NBA record.
History shows that Game 3 is crucial in the outcome of the NBA Finals. The winner of Game 3 in a 1-1 series has gone on to win the title 82 per cent of the time.
What are the odds?
The NBA 2022 betting odds have the Celtics installed as significant 1.67 favourites to win Game 3 at home, while the Warriors are priced at 2.29. And on the Asian Handicap market, the Celtics are favoured from 2.50 to 4.50 points.
Meanwhile, after splitting the first two games, the Warriors are still slight 1.83 favourites to win the series over the Celtics, who are pegged at 2.05.
Boston have shown a lot of resiliency in these playoffs and should play much better at home. Smart and Horford in particular are capable of being much more impactful on both ends of the court.
Curry will continue to be a handful to contain, even with the expected Celtics adjustments, but Boston are certainly good enough to pull off a big win in Game 3.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE BASKETBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
