Game 2 of this intriguing NBA Finals series will tip-off on Monday morning at 10am AEST. We bring you our best spread and player prop bets for this pivotal game right here!
Also, be sure to check out our NBA Tips page regularly to find our best bets for each and every game of the NBA Finals!
NBA Finals Betting Tips: Game 2
Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors
Monday 10am AEST, Chase Center
The Warriors were in control of Game 1 on their home deck when they led by 12 points at the end of the third period, however, the Celtics tightened up on defence and went absolutely berserk shooting the ball in the final term to outscore the Warriors 40-16 and go ahead 1-0 in this best-of-seven NBA Finals series.
Jayson Tatum had a very quiet outing by his standards with just 12 points on 3-17 shooting, although he did finish with 13 assists. It was Jaylen Brown and Al Horford who stepped up for the Celtics, combining 50 points and hitting a number of clutch shots down the stretch. For the Warriors, Steph Curry finished with a game-high 34 points and Andrew Wiggins chipped in with 20, but no one else managed to score more than 15.
The Warriors roster was back to full strength in Game 1 with the trio of Andre Igoudala, Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II all being declared fit to play. They combined for only 36 minutes however and the latter didn’t even end up featuring. The Celtics are also fully healthy and both teams are expected to be able to pick from a full complement of players on Monday morning.
I was keen on the Celtics stealing Game 1 and they certainly didn’t disappoint and have now moved into favouritism to win the championship. However, the Warriors won’t go down without a fight and will be desperate to at least get the split on their home deck before heading to Boston for Games 3 and 4. With that said, I’ll be on the Warriors to do just that and cover the small spread in the process.
Golden State Warriors -4
$1.90
Prop Bets
Jayson Tatum was well below his best shooting the ball in Game 1, but one thing we do know about his character is that he almost always bounces back from a below par game. In these playoffs when he’s scored under 28 points in a game, Tatum has bounced back the following game to score 29+ points on 6/7 occasions. I expect him to put in a big shift on Monday.
Jayson Tatum 28+ Points ($1.87 Ladbrokes)
Al Horford was the man of the moment in Game 1 with an incredible performance where he had 26 points on 75% shooting. I expect the Warriors to be a lot tighter on him in Game 2, which should lead to a few more assists from the big man. He’s had 16 assists in his last four games and is good odds for 4+ in this one.
Al Horford 4+ Assists ($2.15 Ladbrokes)
Steph Curry did his thing in Game 1 but the lack of help from his teammates was their undoing in the end. I expect Klay Thompson to take onus upon himself to help out his splash bro in Game 2 and to put at least 20 points on the board in attempt to guide his team to an important win.
Klay Thompson 20+ Points ($1.87 Ladbrokes)
