Celtics vs. Warriors Game 1 Prop Bets

The NBA finals are here and for bettor’s looking for more action or value they should consider the Game 1 player props. Resident handicapper Joe Jensen cherry picks four props that may be worth a few bucks.

Boston Celtics Player Prop Bets

Heading into game 1 of the NBA Finals, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has a player prop of 28 points. In his last game vs Miami, the Celtics top scorer put up 26 points on 42.9% shooting from the field. Even though this wasn’t the most efficient shooting night from the field, Tatum went 4 of 7 from deep. Throughout the playoffs, Jayson Tatum has surpassed 28 points in 55% of his games. In the Eastern Conference Finals, he averaged a combined 25 points. Although Tatum has carried the team throughout the playoffs, he has been prone to inconsistency. In the 8 playoff games in which he failed to surpass 28 points, he averaged just 19.75 points per game. This includes two 10-point outings. Although I see Tatum having a good series, I recommend taking the under in game 1.

Throughout the playoffs, Jaylen Brown has been essential to the Boston Celtics advancing to the NBA Finals. Heading into game 1, Brown has a player prop of 24.5 points. For the entire playoff run, he averaged just under 23 points per game. However, he has surpassed his player prop in just 27% of his playoff contests. But, in the games he did not go over this line, he still averaged 20.3 points per game. Aside from a 12-point performance in game 4 vs Miami, Jaylen Brown shot over 50% from the field in 4 of the 7 games. Look for the Warriors to devote a majority of their defensive attention to Jayson Tatum, leading a big game 1 scoring performance from Jaylen Brown. I recommend taking the over at 24.5 points.

Golden State Warriors Player Prop Bets

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry has a game 1 player prop of 27.5 points. Throughout his playoff run, Curry has surpassed this line in exactly half of his games. In total, he has averaged just under 26 points per game in the playoffs. In his last 2 games vs Dallas, Curry scored just 15 and 20 points. In both outings, the Golden State sharpshooter connected on just 2 three-point shots. In games that he surpassed 27.5 points, Stephen Curry averaged 4.5 made three-point shots on just over 11 attempts per game. When he failed to go over his player prop, he averaged just 3 made three-pointers per game on an average of 8 attempts. For game 1, I recommend taking Stephen Curry to fall below his prop of 27.5 points. But I am still bullish on Curry’s overall playmaking ability and see him surpassing his prop of 5.5 assists.

Klay Thompson heads into game 1 of the NBA Finals looking to continue his hot shooting, as he went off for 8 three-pointers in his last game. In the contest, Thompson finished with 32 points, tying his high-scoring mark for this playoff run. Kicking off the Finals, Klay Thompson has a player prop of 20.5 points. During the 5 game series vs. Dallas, he only surpassed this number 1 time. For the entire playoffs, he has gone over this total in 38% of his contests. If Thompson is going to go over his prop of 20.5 points, it will come down to his three-point stroke. In games that he has surpassed this number, he averaged just over 3-point attempts and 6 makes. In the games in which he fell short, he averaged just 7.5 attempts, and 2.1 made three-point shots. In the NBA Finals opening contest, I see Thompson having a good night from beyond the arc. I recommend taking the over.