Golden State Warriors

The last two teams left in the NBA Finals have each won two games of their own, and heading into Game 5, there is value to cash in on still in this series.

I like the UNDER 211 here, and I loved it at 212 which is where I bet it. NBA Finals games have a tendency to get tighter as the series wears on, so I’m wondering if we may have seen our last 10+ point win. And a quick futures pick: There’s a narrative building that Jaylen Brown has been Boston’s best player. Williams asked to come out of the end of Game 4, looking a little hobbled. I like Golden State in Game 5. Here’s the script I had in mind going into the series: 2-2 after four games, the home team wins Games 5 and 6, and then Boston’s athleticism carries the day in a grindhouse of a Game 7. However, I bet this line when it was Warriors -3.5 and for some reason the spread moving (it was -4.5 for a while) worries me. So far, the Finals have gone more or less exactly as I had it scripted in my head. “That’s probably just bad execution, not the actual gameplan,” I thought. For starters, the impact Robert “Time Lord” Williams has for the Celtics. Anyone who’s been following them closely knows: Boston turned their season around when they landed on the way they use Williams on defence. It’s a tactic they have used against star perimeter players for years. Boston is 7-0 after a loss these playoffs.

The series is tied 2-2 ... for now. Here's what's going down at the Chase Center as the Celtics and Warriors take their talents back to the Bay for a ...

Jay-Z was in attendance on Monday. He was also at Chase Center for Game 1 of the Finals. -- Youngmisuk Meanwhile, Tatum, who has paid homage to Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan throughout the postseason, looked poised to drop 50, er -- was back on his GOAT vibes rocking a T-shirt with Tiger Woods on it. Boston managed to stick around in the game despite a generally awful offensive performance throughout the first half. That includes being outscored by 35 points in the two games back in Boston. Two things of note on the Warriors side: Andre Iguodala got some first quarter minutes that did not go well whatsoever. The Celtics outscored Golden State 35-24 in the third, which allowed Boston to cut what was a 12-point halftime deficit to one. The Warriors shot over 50 percent from the field. After knocking down a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer, Jordan Poole walked to the corner of the court and screamed back at fans as they cheered him on. The early 2000s would be proud of this series. The combined score throughout the first four games was 422-421, with the Warriors holding the ever-so-slight advantage. Wiggs is making the game look easy. What was less obvious: How the latest installment of this fascinating series would play out.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Andrew Wiggins delivered the biggest game yet in his eight-year career with 26 points and 13 rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 21 points ...

Celtics: Robert Williams III had 10 points and eight rebounds, starting and playing without limits for the Celtics after aggravating his surgically repaired left knee in Game 4. ... Otto Porter Jr. started for a second straight game with Kevon Looney coming off the bench. “And then the fact that it’s 25 years ago just makes me feel old, of course.” Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost consecutive games for the first time in the postseason. Golden State wound up 9 of 40 from beyond the arc — Wiggins 0 of 6. Al Horford hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 6:28 left in the period that made it 58-55 as the Celtics finally found their shooting groove from deep. The drive and kick was beautiful, was working, getting guys wide-open shots,” coach Ime Udoka said. The Celtics were sloppy in stretches, committing 18 turnovers. The Celtics found their own third-quarter magic that has long defined Golden State's success in the second half. If the Celtics can win at home, the series will return to the Bay Area for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday. All five games so far have been decided by 10 or more points. “... The bigger the challenge has been that we’ve thrown in front of him, the bigger he’s responded. One game after his 43-point performance, Curry contributed 16 points and eight assists but was 0 for 9 from 3-point range.

With Steph Curry struggling, the Golden State Warriors needed a boost from someone else. Despite his own shot not falling, Andrew Wiggins stepped up and ...

"If I gotta score, rebound, defend, anything I'm asked to do on the court to help win I'm gonna do." On the message he was trying to send with that dunk, Wiggins said, "We're here. "Just attacking the rim," Wiggins said when asked what his approach was.

The Warriors have their first series lead of the NBA Finals over the Celtics and are now just one win away from a title.

Curry returned to the floor with 7:44 remaining in regulation with an 85-77 lead and the Celtics would never get closer than that. Boston jumped out to a 19-4 run in the second half and took their first lead of the game. Thompson, Poole, and Wiggins scored all of Golden State’s points in a 10-0 run to start the quarter. In spite of Steph Curry’s least efficient offensive quarter of the series, the Dubs led 27-16 at the end of the first quarter. Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, in particular, set the tone with their best stretch of the NBA Finals. Green was all over the floor defensively, and, for the first time in the series, he had early success scoring. After defending their home floor in a 104-94 victory over the Boston Celtics, the Dubs have a 3-2 series lead and are just one victory away from winning their first title since 2018.

The Boston Celtics couldn't make a 3-pointer to start the game and found themselves in a deep hole. Then they couldn't miss and turned the game around.

Poole made a basket at the other end and Boston’s five-point from the third quarter turned into an 85-74 deficit. They then missed seven straight down the stretch and head back home for Game 6 on Thursday night after first back-to-back losses this postseason. Then they couldn’t miss and turned the game around.