NBA Finals Game 6 Betting Preview

The Golden State Warriors will be crowned NBA champions if they beat the Boston Celtics in Game 6 this week.

Andrew Wiggins produced a sensational performance to power the Dubs to a 104-96 victory in Game 5, leaving them on the brink of glory. They are now 3-2 ahead in this gripping best-of-seven series, and one more win would hand the Warriors the NBA Championship.

However, the Dubs will now head into a cauldron of animosity at Boston’s TD Garden in Game 6. For that reason, we make the Celtics the 1.59 favourites to secure victory in this eagerly anticipated matchup.

Can they level the series? Or will the Dubs secure a third consecutive win to seize the NBA Championship? Read on to learn more about this exciting showdown.

 

NBA Finals Game 6 Details

Game 6 gets underway at 9pm Eastern Time in Boston on Thursday night. That means it will begin at 11am on Friday AEST.

You can watch the drama unfold via Kayo Sports or Foxtel. It is also available to anyone with an NBA League Pass subscription.

 

The Series So Far

The Golden State Warriors started out as the clear favourites to win this series. They had a better regular season record than the Celtics, and they breezed through the playoffs. The Dubs beat the Nuggets 4-1, the Grizzlies 4-2 and the Mavericks 4-1 to secure a place in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight seasons.

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are blessed with a wealth of postseason experience, while no Celtics player had ever previously appeared in an NBA Finals game. However, the Celtics drew first blood.

Boston earned a 120-108 victory at Chase Center in Game 1. Curry put up 34 points, handing the Dubs the initiative, but Boston delivered a 40-16 beatdown in the fourth quarter to seize the win. The Celtics could not stop Curry in Game 2, as he scored 29 points to earn his team a 107-88 win, levelling the series at 1-1.

The action then shifted to Boston for Game 3. Center Robert Williams III was the star of the show in that matchup. He delivered an outstanding defensive performance, while Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum scored 26 and Marcus Smart added 24 in a 116-110 victory for the Celtics.

Yet the pendulum swung back in Golden State’s favour once more in Game 4. Curry surpassed himself by putting up 43 points, and the Dubs overturned a 4-point deficit with less than five minutes on the clock to win 107-97.

Curry went 0-9 on 3-pointers in Game 5 at Chase Center, but Wiggins stepped up with a monstrous performance, slamming in 26 points to lead the Dubs to a 104-94 win. They now need just one more win to lift the trophy, whereas Boston must beat Golden State in the final two games to turn things around.

 

Team News

Otto Porter Jr. and Andre Iguodala were rated as doubtful for Game 5, but both men played a part in helping the Warriors wrap up a famous victory. James Wiseman is a long-term absentee.

Williams is questionable for the Celtics. He played 30 minutes in Game 5, but he has been struggling with a knee problem throughout the NBA Finals. He may well make another appearance in Game 6, but he is unlikely to be at the peak of his powers. There are no other injury concerns for either team.

 

The Celtics Bid to Stay Alive

The Celtics are now in a must-win situation as they bid to stay alive in the NBA Finals. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives Boston a 68.4% probability of winning Game 6, but the Celtics will need to dig deep.

They are now 1-7 when coming off a loss in the NBA playoffs, so recent history is not on their side. Morale will be low after suffering back-to-back defeats, but they can feed off the energy of the passionate home crowd at TD Garden, who will be sure to bait Golden State’s Green at every possible opportunity.

The Boston players will need to summon reserves of energy after a gruelling postseason – they have played more games than Golden State – while finding a way to shackle Wiggins. Yet they should be the more motivated team, as their season is on the line.

The Celtics will need more from their bench. Grant Williams and Derrick White managed just four points combined in 37 minutes on the court during Game 5. That stands in stark contrast to Golden State’s Jordan Poole and Gary Payton II, who produced 20 points to get their team over the line.

They will also need a big performance from Tatum. He is the leading points scorer in the 2022 playoffs, with 26.2 per game on average, and he must find his groove in this game.

 

Warriors Fans Look Towards “Game 6 Klay”

This is historically Thompson’s time to shine. He has made 12 Game 6 appearances during his illustrious career, averaging 20.7 points per game in that time. He has shot 44.6% from the field and 49.5% from beyond the arc in Game 6 clashes.

Only one of Golden State’s three playoff series thus far in 2022 went to Game 6, and Thompson Memphis to the sword with 30 points in that game, shooting 8-of-14 from deep. Thompson made a slow start to the NBA Finals, but he stepped up when his fellow Splash Brother – Curry – went off the boil in Game 5. Thompson steadied the nerves with some crucial 3-pointers as the game wore on, and he finished with 21 points.

Curry will also look to bounce back in this game. He did not make a single three in Game 5 – a first for the great man – but he still delivered eight assists and 16 points. It is hard to imagine him being so quiet again in Game 6, which could spell bad news for Boston.

The third member of Golden State’s fabled triumvirate, Green, had a poor performance in Game 3, but he rammed the taunts back down the Boston fans’ throats in Game 4, so it will be interesting to see how he fares on his return to TD Garden. Wiggins led the way with 26 points and 13 rebounds last time out, and he should relieve some of the pressure on Curry in this game, creating plenty of problems for Boston’s defence.

 

NBA Finals Game 6 Betting Options

We make the Celtics the 1.59 favorites to win this crucial game. If you think the Dubs can wrap up the NBA Championship at TD Garden, we have odds of 2.39 on an away win.

The line has been set at 3.5 points, with 1.90 on the Celtics -3.5 and 1.93 on the Warriors +3.5. The Dubs are 8-3 against the spread (line) in their last 11 games, and 4-1 ATS in their last five games played on a Thursday. Meanwhile, the Celtics are 13-7 ATS in their last 20 home games.

We have set the total points line at 209.5 points, with 1.86 on over and 1.97 on under. There are alternate totals to consider too. For example, we are offering 1.89 on over 210 and 1.90 on under 210, or 1.94 on over 210.5 and 1.85 on under 210.5.

The last two games in this series have gone under the total points line. Under has also landed in eight of Golden State’s last 12 games in Boston, and in 14 of the last 18 meetings between these teams. However, over has paid off in the Celtics’ last six games played on a Thursday.

 

Additional Betting Markets for Game 6

You can choose from a wide array of alternative total points lines and handicap lines. We are also offering team totals. The Celtics are priced at 1.90 for over 106.5 points and 1.90 for under 106.5 points. The Dubs are 1.89 for over 103.5 points and 1.91 for under 103.5 points.

There are lines for the first quarter and the first half, or you can check out our doubles markets for longer odds. For example, the Celtics to win and over 209.5 points in the game is priced at 2.92, while Boston to win and under 209.5 points is 3.10.

You can find Golden State to win and over/under doubles too, or combine the line with total points for even longer odds. We also offer half-time / full-time betting, with 2.08 on the Celtics to win at half-time and full-time and 3.75 on the Warriors to win at half-time and full-time, along with a few other potential outcomes.

 

NBA Finals Futures

We now make the Warriors the 1.26 favourites to win the NBA Championship. They would just need to win either Game 6 or Game 7. The Celtics are priced at 3.90 to win Game 6 and then go to California and clinch the championship in Game 7.

Curry is now the 1.30 favourite to be named NBA Finals MVP, ahead of Tatum (4.40), Brown (19.00) and Wiggins (21.00).

 

**Odds quoted are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change.