The Golden State Warriors are one victory away from winning another championship. They take a 3-2 series lead on the road against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

The betting odds suggest that the Celtics will stave off elimination and force a deciding Game 7. Boston is a 3.5-point favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook with -162 odds to win Game 6 outright. The Warriors have +136 odds to clinch the title in Boston.

Golden State has put together the first two-game winning streak of the NBA Finals by winning Game 4 and Game 5. The Warriors took control of the series with a 104-94 victory, despite Stephen Curry shooting 0-of-9 from three-point range and failing to make a trey for the first time in 234 games.

Andrew Wiggins was the best player on the floor with 26 points and 13 rebounds for Golden State. Draymond Green had his best game of the series with eight points, eight rebounds and six assists. Klay Thompson scored 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting.

Ultimately, the Warriors overcame Curry’s worst game of the NBA Finals with a great defensive effort. The Celtics shot 41.3% from the field and committed 18 turnovers. Jaylen Brown missed 13 of his 18 field goal attempts and had five turnovers. Jayson Tatum finished Game 5 with 27 points and 10 rebounds, but he played poorly down the stretch as Boston never led in the fourth quarter.

Tatum has not been the superstar that the Celtics have needed him to be against the Warriors. The 24-year-old is averaging 23.2 points on 36.7% shooting in the Finals. Tatum averaged at least 25.0 points on 42.1% shooting in every other 2022 playoff series.

The Celtics have faced one previous 3-2 series deficit this postseason. Tatum responded with arguably the greatest performance of his career, scoring 46 points in a Game 6 win on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Boston has responded when its back has been against the wall in the playoffs. The Celtics are 7-1 after a loss and 3-0 in elimination games.

Curry should be much better in Game 6, considering he averaged 34.3 points on 49% shooting from three-point range in the first four games of the series. His supporting cast, however, likely won’t be as good as it was in Game 5. The Celtics’ role players will have the advantage at home.

Boston’s No. 1 ranked defense has continued to play well, even in defeat. Golden State hasn’t scored more than 107 points in any Finals game. The difference in the Warriors’ wins has been the points they’ve been able to score off turnovers.

With their season on the line in front of their home crowd, the Celtics should find a way to send the series back to Golden State.

Game 6 Prediction: Boston over Golden State, 106-100

Andrew Wiggins inspired Golden State to victory over Boston to leave the Warriors one win away from a seventh NBA crown
Andrew Wiggins inspired Golden State to victory over Boston to leave the Warriors one win away from a seventh NBA crown GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP / EZRA SHAW
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