The NBA Finals head back to California for Game 5 with the series tied at 2-2. We preview this huge clash and provide our best spread and player prop bets 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 5
Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors
Tuesday 11am AEST, Chase Center
The Warriors were able to answer the call with an inspired 107-97 win over the Celtics on the road in Game 4 to level it up at 2-2 in this thrilling best-of-seven NBA Finals series. No team has managed to string back-to-back wins together as of yet, but the Warriors will be aiming to do just that when they return to the Bay for Game 5, before flying back to Boston for the following game.
I mentioned that Steph Curry would need to put in a superhuman performance in Game 4 with the lack of help he’s been getting from his teammates on offence, and he did exactly that. The 2x MVP poured in a game and series-high 43 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins was also important for the Warriors with a big double-double. Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics with 23/11/6, but again couldn’t hit on a high clip.
As has been the case in all games in this series, there are no major injuries to talk about as we look forward to Game 5. Steph Curry clearly wasn’t impacted by the leg injury he picked up late in Game 3 and is under no such injury cloud. The only slight concerns surround Warriors’ duo Andre Igoudala and Otto Porter, but both are expected to be available.
It’s possible that Curry will put in another massive performance for the Warriors again in Game 5 and lead them to victory, but I see this clash as a genuine 50/50, particularly when you consider that the Celtics have bounced back from all six of their playoff losses with a win this campaign. With that in mind, I’ll be having a small play on the Celtics to cover the spread on Tuesday.
Boston Celtics +3.5
$1.94
Prop Bets
Jayson Tatum has had a horrible series shooting the ball and needs to find his stroke ASAP to give his team a chance of winning it all. He’s shooting 33.4% from the field through four games and needs to step it up in Game 5. I expect him to do just that.
Jayson Tatum 27+ Points ($1.80 Ladbrokes)
Andrew Wiggins is having a big series and is impacting on both sides of the ball. He had a whopping 16 rebounds last game which was the third time he’s had 10+ from his last seven outings. I’m looking for him to have just seven plus here.
Andrew Wiggins 7+ Rebounds ($1.80 Ladbrokes)
Al Horford hasn’t been able reproduce the scoring output he displayed in Game 1 but he’s still been influential in other areas. He’s had a combined 10 assists in his last two games and remains really good value to pick up at least four here.
Al Horford 4+ Assists ($2.20 Ladbrokes)
