Best NBA Betting Lines Today: Our Picks for Game 2 of the NBA Finals

Golden State put on a clinic in Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals – at least through three quarters. That’s when the Boston Celtics shut that clinic down and put on one of their own that took them from down 12 to up 12 in 12 minutes and gave them a somewhat shocking lead in this series.

Because of those 12 minutes, Game 2 truly feels like a must win for the Warriors. We’ve seen teams go down 0-2 in the Finals and come back to win the series, but never has a team lost the first two at home and made that come back. This Golden State team (or versions of it) have made history before, but that’s still not a hole they want to find themselves in.

The good news is the Warriors are favorites in today’s contest. But will they cover? And can the total go over again?

Boston @ Golden State

The Bet: Warriors -4

Yeah, Golden State isn’t going to let that happen again. Boston is super talented and should be considered the favorite to win this series with one road victory already under its belt, but Golden State will win Game 2 and cover the spread.

Over the course of the playoffs, the team’s average margin of victory in its wins is more than 12 points. They haven’t played too many super close contests and came out on top, so if you think they’re going to win, it’s safe to assume they’ll do so comfortably.

They’re also much better against the spread at home over the course of the entire season (30-19-2) than they are on the road. And looking back at the game, they managed their toughest defensive assignment (Jayson Tatum) without much trouble. The guys that killed the Warriors in Game 1 were Al Horford and Derrick White. Let’s give the league’s second best defense in the regular season the benefit of the doubt that they can figure those guys out.

Boston @ Golden State

The Bet: Under 215.5 Total Points

Speaking of defenses, where Golden State’s was second best this season, Boston’s was #1. You wouldn’t know it from the shooting showcase both teams put on in Game 1, but there was reason to believe this NBA Finals would be more of a grind than we got.

But the seemingly endless parade of swishes just means more value on the under in Game 2. If Horford and White (and Smart and Brown) all shoot closer to their season averages, you can easily bring the Game 1 total down below this number.

Additionally, this season, Golden State has played home games to the under at a better than 57 percent clip, and both teams are better than 63 percent to the under in games following two days of rest.