After splitting the first two games of the series, the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics will each look to grab the upper hand in Game 3. Read on for a preview of Thursday’s matchup.

Catch this game live on Thursday, June 9, at 9 AM, Manila time.

Away: Golden State Warriors (1-1/0-0 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Stephen Curry
  • SG: Klay Thompson
  • SF: Andrew Wiggins
  • PF: Draymond Green
  • C:  Kevon Looney

The Warriors head to Boston coming off a brutally good win at home in Game 2, 107-88. Outside of tying the series, Golden State also snatched momentum away from the Celtics just in time for the Warriors’ first road game in this NBA Finals matchup. A mix of Stephen Curry’s greatness, a suffocating defense, and a sprinkle of good old Jordan Poole off-the-bench production doomed the Celtics in Game 2. 

Curry will always be a big factor for the Warriors, whether he makes his shots or not, because his gravity alone bends Boston’s defense so much it creates opportunities for his other four teammates on the floor. The Celtics even got a bit lucky with Klay Thompson sputtering in Game 2, shooting just 4/19 for a mere 11 points. Poole provided 17 points, seemingly no longer blinded by the bright lights of the Finals. That’s not good news for the Celtics, heading to Game 3. The Warriors are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog.

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Home: Boston Celtics (1-1/0-0 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Marcus Smart 
  • SG: Jaylen Brown
  • SF: Jayson Tatum
  • PF: Grant Williams
  • C: Robert Williams

Boston will have to forget Game 2, and the home crowd at TD Garden is going to help the Celtics do that. Perhaps, playing at home will be the cure to the malaise of the Celtics’ supporting cast. The Celtics relied heavily on Jayson Tatum for scoring in Game 2, as their star forward pumped out 28 points – most of it coming in the first half. Meanwhile, three starters in Al Horford, Marcus Smart, and Robert Williams managed to put together just 8 points. Jaylen Brown had 17 but scored just a couple of points in the second half. 

It goes without saying that the Celtics are a much better team than the version of themselves that showed up in that loss.  They could have also made that game a lot closer if not for a number of sloppy turnovers. The Celtics had 19 miscues and Golden converted those errors to 33 points. Ime Udoka has repeatedly shown that he can make the right adjustments following back-breaking losses, and his ability to do that will be put to the test again in Game 3. The Celtics are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 NBA Championship games.

PREDICTIONS:

Spread: The Celtics cover (-3.5).

Over/Under: Taking the Under (212.0).

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