Betting Guide for Game 3 of Warriors vs. Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals

The Golden State Warriors bounced back in Game 2 to even the NBA Finals at 1-1. Now the series heads to Boston for Game 3 on the Celtics' home floor.

Dimers.com contributor John Lopez breaks down the matchup.

This preview of Game 3 of the Warriors-Celtics series is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Compare all the sportsbooks' NBA odds to make sure you get the most out of your bets.

Game 3: Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics

NBA Finals

Wednesday June 8, 2022, 9PM ET

Why the favorite Celtics will cover the spread

The Boston Celtics have yet to lose back-to-back playoff games this season, and have followed up those losses with wins by an average of 15.5 points. 

In fact, since January 29th, they have only lost back to back games once.  Boston was 2nd in the league this regular season with a plus/minus of 7.3, and going back to the magical date of January 29th, they led the league with a whopping +13.9 point differential. 

🧨 GAME 3 PROPS 🧨

A massive NBA Finals game between the Warriors and Celtics is here tonight! Get our prop picks and write ups for:

🏆 DRAYMOND GREEN
🏆 MARCUS SMART
🏆 ANDREW WIGGINS

💰 PLUS A +576 PARLAY https://t.co/GVxDH3sM4T

— Dimers.com (@DimersCom) June 8, 2022

In Game 2, Boston turned the ball over 19 times, and shot an abysmal 35% from 2 point range. It’s safe to say they will not be that bad in their first Finals game in Boston since 2010.  

DimersBOT Prediction: Celtics to cover -3.5 (51% probability)

Why the underdog Warriors will cover the spread

The Golden State Warriors are one terrible quarter away from being up 2-0 in this series. 

If you take away the 4th quarter from Game 1, the Warriors have a 31-point advantage this series. Boston shot 68% from the field that quarter, including 9 from 12 from beyond the arc. Despite that anomaly, Golden State continued with their patented 3rd quarters explosions, posting +14 and +21 advantages after halftime. 

The Warriors have outscored the Celtics a combined 73-38 in the 3rd quarter of the NBA Finals.

Since the start of 2014-15, the Warriors 3rd-quarter point differential is +2,184 including the playoffs, more than double any team's single quarter over that span. pic.twitter.com/hTrGfj6uMc

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 8, 2022

In addition, they shot over 40% from 3 point range, and posted higher stocks (steals + blocks) than Boston in both games.  Golden State will continue to play their game, which will keep them in this game until the very end.  

Why Warriors vs. Celtics will go Over the 212 points line

Golden State has averaged 114.1 points per game this playoffs, and Boston has averaged slightly under 108 points, which looking at just those numbers, seems like an obvious answer for the over, which hit in Game 1 with 228 points. 

Looking at just Game 2, Boston scored 18 points under their playoff average, and hit six fewer threes than they did in Game 1. Now they are at home where we should expect them to shoot better than they did last game.

In addition, the Warriors can expect Klay Thompson to shoot better than 4 for 19 from the field. 

DimersBOT Prediction: Over 212 points (52% probability)

Why Warriors vs. Celtics will stay Under the 212 total points line

This line went down three full points from when it opened at 215. 

This sharp decrease shows how this line was set way too high.  Despite this movement, the line may still be too high. Both of these teams' defenses have adjusted well as their playoff series have gone on, and we can expect the same in Game 3. 

Steph is the ONLY player in #NBAPlayoffs history to record 25+ PTS, 5+ 3PM, and 3+ STL in back-to-back games. He's done it twice.

⚡️ Games 1 & 2 vs. Celtics - 2022 NBA Finals

⚡️ Games 1 & 2 vs. Spurs - 2017 Western Conference Finals pic.twitter.com/MmJ0v5Dijh

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 7, 2022

In addition, Boston has allowed 100.1 points at home this playoffs, while averaging 105.7.  We can expect this rubber match to be a defensive showdown at TD Garden. 

X-Factor: Jordan Poole, Warriors G

Jordan Poole is the overly obvious answer here. Simply speaking, in Game 1, he went 1 for 5 from behind the arc and the Warriors lost. In Game 2, he went 5 for 9, and they won. 

Obviously this impact is much more than just his three point shooting, as we have seen numerous defensive breakdowns from the third year guard.  Against Memphis, he saw his minutes drop from about 33 per game to 23 due to other teams attacking him defensively. 

He hasn’t seen a workload similar to those first three games since then, but seeing him score 14 points in 13 minutes of the second half of game 2 shows how quickly he can help turn a close game to a blowout. 

🏀 Projected Warriors vs. Celtics Game 3 box score
✍️ Betting Preview: Warriors vs. Celtics Game 3