3 Best Bets and Player Props for Warriors at Celtics

Even within a single NBA game, betting markets are abundant.

You can bet traditional markets like the spread or the total, but we've also got tons of player-prop markets to sift through.

Which bets stand out today as the Golden State Warriors face the Boston Celtics?

Let's dig into the best bets in FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA betting odds, utilizing FanDuel Research's NBA projections to try to find value.

Warriors at Celtics Betting Picks

Celtics -6.0 (-108)

The Steve Kerr versus Jayson Tatum game is finally here.

Over the summer, Kerr helmed the USA basketball men's Olympic team, but the gold medal run wasn't spared from drama. Kerr made the perhaps questionable decision to bench Tatum for a decent portion of the Olympic bid. In line with tradition, the NBA offseason storyline got blown out of proportion with haste, though many were genuinely upset with the decision, including people within Boston's camp.

Boston and Golden State's bad blood extends beyond that Olympic spat. The Warriors beat the Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals on Boston's home court. Then, last season, Jaylen Brown said he felt disrespected by Golden State's nonchalant defensive strategies against him. Brown returned the favor by scoring 19 first-quarter points en route to a billowing 140-88 Celtics victory.

Storylines aside, NBA fans are getting a nationally televised matchup between two teams that have gone a combined 13-2 to start the year.

Klay Thompson is no longer in the fold, but the Warriors are no lame duck team. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and a young core make up a rare 12-man rotation. Kerr's fresh method has gone off without a hitch, as Golden State has posted a stunning +16.8 net rating through seven games, good for second-best in the NBA. They did all that despite Curry missing three games due to an ankle injury.

The Warriors are averaging the fourth-most three-point attempts (3PA) per game, posing as an ideal team to challenge Boston, who lead the league in 3PA and 3PM.

However, Golden State's caliber of competition thus far has been massively underwhelming. They went 3-0 against teams who currently own a mere 22.5 win total, tied for the second-lowest in the NBA. They also went 2-0 against a New Orleans Pelicans team that was without Dejounte Murray, C.J. McCollum, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy III for one or both of those contests. The team's most impressive feat was an overtime victory over the Houston Rockets, and they dropped a game by eight points to the Los Angeles Clippers. As someone who believed the Warriors were underrated heading into this season, how much credit can we really hand them for dominating an incredibly soft schedule?

The defending champs, meanwhile, have picked off right where they left off. They beat the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks by a minimum of 11 points and an average of 17 points. Six of their seven victories have been won by double-digits.

Last season, the C's posted a 37-4 record and +15.5 net rating at home (third-best in NBA history). While this year's sample is small, a 2-0 record and +18.3 net rating at home indicates we are in for more of the same this go-around.

On top of that, the Warriors are generating the league's fifth-highest percentage off points off of turnovers, yet the Celtics are averaging the third-fewest turnovers per game. Golden State's scrappiness might not afford them much tonight. Plus, I'm not so convinced Buddy Hield, who has gone an insane 33-for-66 from behind the arc this year, can keep up his heroics, especially against Boston's perimeter defenders.

Jaylen Brown will miss his third straight game due to a hip injury. That certainly hurts the C's, but the spread has grown closer as a result, and Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, and Luke Kornet have stepped up in the last two games sans Brown.

Tatum and company should be ready to go tonight. A focused Celtics group at TD Garden is no beast you want to mess with, so I'll take Boston to cover a 6.0-point spread.

Al Horford Over 16.5 Pts + Reb + Ast (-115)

The Celtics know how to use Al Horford. Give the veteran a day off here and there and let him run when you need him. A key home game without Brown should turn into one of those games where Horford is granted a longer leash, so I like him to surpass 16.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists (PRA) tonight.

Horford has played two home games this season and notched 19 and 16 PRA in those contests. Notably, those were two of just three games this campaign where the C's were favored by less than double digits.

Last season, Horford averaged 21.5 PRA in eight games sans Brown. He logged 16 PRA in all but one of these games and went for at least 20 PRA in all but two contests.

Big Al shot threes at a 41.9% clip last year and is shooting them at a 52.0% rate this season. The Celtics win games by outshooting opponents from long range, and Horford always has the green light from downtown. He's attempted as many as eight threes in a game this season.

Stephen Curry Over 27.5 Pts + Reb (-113)

Despite being limited to 24 minutes in his first game back from an ankle injury, Curry still managed to log 27 combined points and rebounds (PR) in no time.

Steve Kerr said he doesn't anticipate a minutes restriction for Curry against Boston, so it should be all systems go for Steph. With that in mind, I'm more than ready to back Curry over 27.5 PR.

Steph has yet to exceed 27 minutes this season, both due to his injury and a pair of 30-point Golden State blowout victories. A close spread (6.0) and high total (230) should lend itself to plenty of minutes for Curry in this one.

Last season, he averaged a massive 32.7 PR in 65 games where he played at least 30 minutes. He eclipsed 27.5 PR in 76.9% of those games. I think he's undervalued in the PR market based on his low minute output thus far despite the reasonable explanation for that missed time.

Plus, the Celtics grant opposing guards the fifth-most points, fourth-most rebounds, and fourth-most 3PA per game. This matchup has a big Steph night written all over it, and our NBA projections expect him to tally 29.5 PR tonight.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.