Phil Agius
Show Bio
It’s all to play for in the NBA Finals after Golden State’s great comeback win on the road in Game 4. What was once a best-of-7 series is now a best-of-3 showdown with the teams tied at 2-2. The Warriors will have home-court advantage in Game 5 at Chase Center tonight (9:00 pm ET, ABC) and also in a potential Game 7. The Celtics opened the finals with a road victory in Game 1, becoming the first visitors to win there in these playoffs, and they will be hoping to upset the odds again with the Warriors made -3.5 favorites for this contest.
It’s a pivotal contest in the series, so we have asked the Pickswise NBA experts to provide their best bets for Game 5. Here are the best plays from some of the sharpest basketball minds around.
JutPicks: Andrew Wiggins over 8.5 rebounds + assists (-135)
Mark Zinno: Draymond Green under 7.5 points (-116)
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Golden State Warriors vs Boston Celtics
Filip Tomic: Draymond Green over 0.5 made threes (+176)
I know that the Warriors haven’t got much from Green offensively over the past 2 games, but I have high hopes of him draining at least 1 three-pointer in the remaining games of the series. That could very well be Game 5, as the Celtics will surely focus a lot more on stopping Curry following his 43-point explosion in Game 4. That should leave a lot more room on offense for Thompson, Wiggins and Jordan Poole, but also for Green — who had double-digits points in 4 of the Celtics’ 5 games against Dallas. In the series against the Nuggets he drained 1 three-pointer in 4 games and against the Mavs he did so in 2 games, so it’s not like he has forgotten how to shoot. When slumps like this happen, it’s only a matter of time they end and when they do you get really decent odds.
Germantas Kneita: Andrew Wiggins over 0.5 blocks (-136)
Wiggins has been playing a hugely important role for the Golden State Warriors in defending the Boston Celtics’ superstar wings. It has seen his playing time surpass the 40-minute mark in each of the last 2 games and he could be in line for something similar tonight. That gives him more than enough time to record a block. He has managed 5 so far this series, averaging 1.3 per game. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown attacking the rim aggressively, there will be opportunities for Wiggins to contest these shots. With a fantastic vertical and 7’0” wingspan, the Warriors forward should be more than capable of sending at least one shot back.
Don’t miss our same game parlay for Warriors vs Celtics Game 5 (+1241 odds!)
Adam Ronis: Robert Williams over 14.5 points + rebounds (-120)
A big question coming into this series was the health of Robert Williams. He had surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee in late March and missed almost a month of the season. The Celtics center has missed games in the postseason and has been playing through pain. Williams logged 24 minutes in Game 1 and 14 in Game 2 against Golden State and it appeared he wouldn’t be a big factor. In Game 3 he played 26 minutes and had 8 points and 10 rebounds. With one day of rest, he played 31 minutes in Game 4 and had 7 points and 12 rebounds. That was the most he has played since March 13, when he played 35 minutes. An extra day of rest between Games 4 and 5 should help Williams even more and he has been a force on the boards. In the last 5 games Williams has played at least 25 minutes, he had points and rebounds totals of 19, 18, 13, 16 and 27. With the title at stake, expect Williams to get the minutes and produce.
Read our first-basket best bet for Game 5 — we cashed a +1200 pick in Game 4!
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