The Celtics are ahead 210-141 in the head-to-head series. But on November 6, 2024, the Warriors defeated the Celtics 118–112 in Boston. Over the last ten games, the Celtics have a 6-4 record versus the Warriors, including a 3-2 record in five games played in San Francisco.
With 27 points and a decisive victory, Stephen Curry dominated the Celtics in their most recent matchup. Remarkably, StatMamba on X, formerly known as Twitter, reports that he now averages 25.3 points per game against the Boston Celtics, the most by a point guard in a lifetime. Over his 13 career games against the Warriors at Oracle, Curry has somewhat inferior home records, averaging 23.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.5 rebounds.
Other weapons in this starting lineup can cause some damage, but Curry will be the center of attention. With 16 points in the most recent match, Andrew Wiggins performed admirably. Kyle Anderson scored 11 points off the bench, while Buddy Hield scored 16. The bench scored a remarkable 49 points in total.
In the most recent game, the Warriors shown their capacity to completely change the course of the game. Importantly, it will be even more important in this match, particularly if Porzingis and Brown both participate. Winning the little games matters a lot to the Warriors because the Celtics are a talented team with depth.
The Celtics are 16-25-1 against the spread, while the Warriors are 19-21-1 against the odds. Moreover, the Celtics are 8-10-1 against the spread on the road, while the Warriors are 9-12 against the odds at home. The Celtics are 3-6-1 against the spread when facing the Western Conference, while the Warriors are 4-8-1 against the spread when facing the Eastern Conference.
Assuming the Celtics have all their starters back, I can see them going into San Francisco and flipping the script. While the Warriors have shown some guile against the Celtics, beating them twice in one season is tough. Regardless, I see the Warriors keeping this one competitive, even if they fall short.
The Warriors are 19-21-1 against the odds, and the Celtics are 16-25-1 against the spread. Additionally, the Warriors are 9-12 against the odds at home, while the Celtics are 8-10-1 against the spread when traveling. When playing the Eastern Conference, the Warriors are 4-8-1 against the spread, while the Celtics are 3-6-1 against the spread when playing the Western Conference.
The first time they faced the Warriors in this season, they started the game very well. However, the structure pulled down in the second quarter as a terrible performance sealed their fate. The consistency of the Celtics deteriorated in the game again in the third quarter but seemed to recover in the last quarter.
This is where the Boston Celtics need their superstars. Hence, Jayson Tatum needs to bring it again in the tradition of the previous fight, in which he accounted for 32 points, shooting 10 for 20. Derrick White also chipped-in 26 points and this was on 8-19 shooting, 7-16 on threes. Also, Neemias Queta contributed 14 points and shot the ball 6 of 11 attempts. Similarly, Payton Pritchard managed a total of 16 points. Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis sat out this match.
Two of them could have bolstered the shooting as the Celtics were able to convert only 42.2% from the field and 35.2% from the threes. They also lost the board battle by 53-47. The defense also kept only three shot attempts from their opponents away and could not compensate for the 12 turnovers committed by the offense. Essentially, this defense has done in the past what is required of any sound defensive structure – it has demonstrated that it can halt good shooting, and it must return to these basics.
The Celtics will cover the spread if only they shoot well on the field and avoid the second-quarter meltdown. Subsequently, they need to triumph in the board battle to ensure they do not extend the Warriors any more minutes.
I can see the Celtics going into San Francisco and changing the course of events, assuming they have all of their starters back. It's difficult to defeat the Celtics twice in a single season, even though the Warriors have displayed some cunning against them. In any case, even if the Warriors lose, I see them maintaining their competitiveness.
