Celtics vs. Warriors Odds for NBA Finals: Warriors Open as Favorites in Game 1 (Thursday, June 2)

Celtics vs. Warriors Odds

The Golden State Warriors will host Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics Thursday. The Warriors entered the postseason as the No. 3 seed in the West and the Celtics entered as the No. 2 team in the East, but each team took vastly different paths to the Finals.

The Warriors closed out the first round series in five games, were pushed to six games against the Memphis Grizzlies in Round 2 and closed out the Mavericks in five games. The Celtics, on the other hand, swept the Brooklyn Nets in Round 1, then played back-to-back- seven game series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat.

The two teams split their regular season matchups this season — the Warriors took Game 1 in December and the Celtics won in March in a game in which Marcus Smart injured Stephen Curry. Defense is at the core of the identity of both teams, though, with the Celtics (106.2) and the Warriors (106.6) at the top of the NBA in Defensive Rating in the regular season.

The Warriors opened as 3.5-point favorites in Game 1 where they are 8-6 against the spread this season, including 7-2 as home favorites. Conversely, the Celtics are 6-1 ATS as road underdogs in the playoffs this season.