The 2022 NBA Finals Game 3 tips off Wednesday night. The Warriors won Game 2 of this series to tie it up 1-1. Now the series shifts to Boston and the Celtics look to take back the series lead. The Celtics look to bounce back after a subpar offensive performance in Game 2. Below are my betting picks and DFS picks for Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Warriors and the Celtics. Think you know who is going to win it all? Check out the latest NBA Championship odds.
EXCLUSIVE SGPN NBA FINALS CONTENT
2022 NBA Finals Game 3: Warriors vs. Celtics – Odds & Picks
Celtics vs. Warriors Series Results
Game 1: Celtics 120, Warriors 108
Game 2: Celtics 88, Warriors 107
Celtics vs. Warriors Game 3 – Odds
Game 3: Thursday, 9:00 pm EST, ABC
Moneyline: Warriors (+140) | Celtics (-170)
Spread: Celtics -3.5
Total: 212
NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Warriors Game 3 – Picks
NBA Picks: Warriors +3.5
The Warriors are coming off one of their best defensive performances in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. They held the Celtics to 88 points and 37.5% shooting from the floor. Despite a 28-point effort from Jayson Tatum, the rest of the Celtics struggled. Furthermore, the injury to Robert Williams is limiting the Celtics both offensively and defensively. The betting market is not properly accounting for the injury to Williams which has hindered his playing minutes. Additionally, I believe the Warriors have not yet put together a complete offensive game in this series. Stephen Curry has been the only consistent offensive player for the Warriors thus far. This game will be closer than most think and I expect it to come down to the wire. Take the Warriors and the points.
Player Prop: Jaylen Brown Over 2.5 Turnovers
The Boston Celtics are turning the ball over at a high rate throughout the postseason. In the first two games of the 2022 NBA Finals, the Celtics have turned the ball over a combined 32 times. One player who is struggling to protect the basketball has been Jaylen Brown. In fact, Brown has three or more turnovers in four of the last five games and five out of the last seven games. Furthermore, the narrative for Brown has been to make him put the ball on the floor and his lack of handles makes him a turnover-prone player. I am going to ride this player prop trend.
Player Prop: Kevon Looney Over 6.5 Points
Kevon Looney has been outstanding and underrated for the Golden State Warriors all throughout the postseason. However, there is one main factor why I am backing Looney’s points prop and that is Robert Williams. There is no doubt that Robert Williams is hurt and the knee is clearly bothering him. In fact, the Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has come out and said that Williams’s minutes will be limited, with him playing around 20-25 minutes. As a result, this will benefit Looney to get easy baskets and get over this points projection.
2022 NBA Finals: Warriors vs. Celtics Game 3 – DraftKings NBA Showdown
NBA DraftKings DFS Showdown – Players to Target
Marcus Smart (BOS – PG) – $7,800 ($11,1700 CPT)
This is a good spot for Marcus Smart to be in your DFS lineups. In seven home postseason games, Smart is averaging 14.0 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.0 rebounds. Smart has scored 10 or more points in every postseason game thus far. Further, Smart can also fill up the box score with rebounds and assists along with steals and blocks. I’ll have Marcus Smart in my lineup for Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
Klay Thompson (GSW – SG/SF) – $7,400 ($11,100 CPT)
I am going to die on this sword with Klay Thompson. In Game 3 the strategy for the Celtics will be to slow down Steph Curry, who has single-handedly carried the scoring load for the Warriors. Let’s be honest, Thompson was atrocious for the Warriors in Game 1 and even worse in Game 2. There is no direction for Klay but to go up. This is a game where Thompson will get the open looks and knock those shots down. The key for me is the Celtics are going to focus on slowing Curry down, thus opening the opportunity for Thompson.
