Ricky Dimon
NBA
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We have a six-game slate in the NBA on Saturday, headlined by a pair of games on national television. It begins the Utah Jazz visiting the Los Angeles Lakers prior to this showdown between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics. Both contests are getting the same game parlay treatment they deserve. Let’s take a look at the best such option for Golden State vs. Boston, and be sure to check out our full game preview for picks on the side and total.
Celtics -4 (-110)
Marcus Smart Over 2.5 three-pointers (+140)
Jaylen Brown to record 6+ rebounds (-260)
Stephen Curry to score 35+ points (+128)
Parlay odds: +1352
Part of the value in same game parlays, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is part of the plan here, as Marcus Smart draining more than a couple of threes works nicely with a Boston win and cover. Jaylen Brown crashing the boards hard also wouldn’t hurt. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with picking Stephen Curry to go on another scoring binge. Even if Curry does, though, there is no reason why the Celtics can’t take care of business.
Celtics -4 (-110)
The Celtics are one of their best runs of the season with five wins in a row and seven of eight. In their most recent win over the Lakers, Brown scored 40 points while shooting an amazing 17 for 20 from the field. Jayson Tatum had been carrying Boston for a little while, but Brown reminded us there are two all-stars on the team. Golden State has lost center James Wiseman for the rest of the season. He was not a major contributor, but he did give them some size on the inside and he could rebound and block some shots. This line simply isn’t big enough given that these obviously aren’t the Warriors of old and that the Celtics are starting to live up to expectations in 2020-21.
Marcus Smart Over 2.5 three-pointers (+140)
Smart has made at least three triples in four of the last five games. He has successfully dialed long distance at least four times in two of the last seven. The veteran out of Oklahoma State is 6-for-11 from deep over the past two outings, so he is wielding a confident stroke at the moment. The Warriors are in the middle of the pack in the NBA in terms of defending the three-ball; it’s not like they can be expected to shut down Boston at the perimeter. Golden State’s three-point percentage defense is 37.8 on the road compared to 35.2 at home; is giving up 13.4 threes on the road compared to 11.5 at home.
Jaylen Brown to record 6+ rebounds (-260)
The Warriors are dead last in the NBA in rebounding. Adding insult to injury, Wiseman—the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft—is done for the season. The Celtics should be able dominate the boards on Saturday. Robert Williams is questionable for Boston, and his absence would put more of an onus on everyone else to hit the glass. Tristan Thompson cannot do it all by himself; and Brown is an obvious candidate to chip in. Brown is averaging 7.2 rebounds in the last five games, so he should be able to grab at least six against Golden State.
Stephen Curry to score 35+ points (+128)
Curry has been fantastic of late and without Wiseman, the Warriors become even more perimeter-oriented. The former Davidson standout has scored at least 32 points in each of the last nine games. He has connected on a ridiculous 33 three-pointers in the last four contests.
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