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Celtics withstand third quarter run, dominate Warriors in fourth quarter to take 2-1 Finals lead

Here’s the latest from Game 3 in Boston.

By Chinmay Vaidya Updated
2022 NBA Finals - Game Three
Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics reacts to a play in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors during Game Three of the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 08, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics meet up in Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals Wednesday with the series tied 1-1. The Celtics have not lost back-to-back games this postseason, but the Warriors are getting most of the public support at DraftKings Sportsbook on the moneyline for this contest.

We’ll have the latest updates from the game, along with relevant odds, bets, player props, stats and futures based on what happens.

Celtics vs. Warriors Game 3 updates

The Warriors appear to have pulled the plug on this game, yanking Curry, Thompson and Wiggins out of the game. The Celtics remain perfect after a loss in the postseason and now hold a 2-1 lead in this series. They pay off against the spread and on the moneyline, which leaves a lot of bettors unhappy as the public was backing Golden State to win. The total goes over. Tatum, Brown and Smart combined for 77 points in a huge victory for Boston.

Game 4 is Friday, with the Celtics having a chance to take a 3-1 lead. There will be at least one more game in the Bay Area, but the Warriors will hope to once again even the series heading back to San Francisco rather than facing elimination.

Draymond Green has fouled out of the game, with Golden State trailing 110-98 with about four minutes left in the contest. Curry is also laboring after taking a hit in the loose-ball scuffle which Green fouled out from. The point guard has played through the pain but is clearly not at 100 percent here late in the contest.

We’ve entered the crucial period of the game and the Celtics still hold a 11-point lead largely due to the performances of Tatum, Robert Williams and Marcus Smart. Boston’s role players have showed up, and Golden State’s shooters have cooled off after a hot third quarter. Let’s see if the Warriors have anything left for these last six minutes or so.

The Celtics have woken up to start the fourth quarter and now hold a 11-point advantage. The Warriors have made some careless passes in transition and Boston is taking advantage. Tatum has been more aggressive and now has 22 points.

We’ve reached the end of three and the Warriors used one of their patented frames to climb back in this pivotal Game 3 contest. The Celtics still lead behind some clutch baskets from Tatum, but it’s now a four-point game largely due to the performances of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The “Splash Brothers” have 54 points and are 11-19 from deep.

Curry is on fire in the third quarter as the Warriors have cut this game down to two points. The guard is playing with four fouls but just connected on a four-point play and got lucky with a flagrant foul call. It’s anybody’s game now.

Curry has woken up a bit to start the second half as the Warriors cut the lead down to eight, but also picked up his fourth foul on a nonsensical reach-in foul trailing the play in transition. He’s likely going to have to sit at some point, and the Celtics are responding well to Golden State’s lackadaisical play in transition. Boston leads by 13 with nine minutes left in the third quarter.

We’ve reached the end of the first half and despite some runs from Golden State, the Celtics hold the edge behind a great performance from Brown. He’s up to 22 points in the opening half to give Boston a 68-56 lead. The Warriors eventually got going offensively, but will need one of their signature third quarters to have a chance in this one. Tatum still has 11, while Marcus Smart has added 10 points.

The over is looking good right now if you took it at 212.5, while bets for the Celtics against the spread and on the moneyline are in a good spot. The live lines at DraftKings Sportsbook are Celtics -9.5, over/under 230.5 and Celtics -525/Warriors +325 on the moneyline.

It’s a 8-0 run for Golden State and suddenly it’s a nine-point game in Boston with just over four minutes left in the first half. The Warriors have been able to survive despite some poor shooting, largely due to Klay Thompson emerging. He’s up to 15 points and has three triples. Let’s see if the Warriors can continue to close the gap or if Boston will respond and take a big lead into halftime.

The Celtics are hitting a lot of shots, and the Warriors are simply trying to keep the deficit manageable at this point. Boston is up 56-39 behind a 61.1% clip from the field and 50% mark from deep. The home team is also dominating the glass, which has created plenty of second-chance points. Brown has 17 and Jayson Tatum has 11 for Boston.

We’ve reached the end of the first quarter and Brown is up to 17 points for the Celtics. He’s come out hot in back-to-back games now. Boston holds a 33-22 lead over Golden State, and we’ll see how long Steve Kerr can sit Stephen Curry with those two fouls. The Celtics are shooting 54.5 percent from the floor, while the Warriors are struggling at 34.8 percent.

This game has started to unravel for the Warriors, who are 5-16 from the floor. The Celtics are shooting 66.7% on the other side, and that’s opened up a 15-point lead for the home team. Brown has 12 points while Al Horford has added seven. To make matters worse for Golden State, Stephen Curry has two early fouls but is staying in the game for now.

Brown is off to a hot start early for the Celtics with 10 points. The home team has a 18-9 lead over Golden State but the Warriors have missed some open looks and will eventually get right shooting the ball.

Boston has jumped out to a 10-2 start behind three triples, two from Jaylen Brown and one from Al Horford. Kevon Looney actually scored the first points of the game on a layup, but the Celtics look like a different team in the early going here at TD Garden.

Starting lineups remain the same for both teams. The Celtics will roll with Smart, Brown, Tatum, Horford and Robert Williams while the Warriors counter with Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Green and Looney. We’ll likely see some tighter rotations from both teams in this game after both coaches got a good idea of how players will fare against the other team over the first two contests.

The odds have not moved at all, and will close at Celtics -3.5, over/under 212.5 and Celtics -150/Warriors +130 moneyline.

There was a little bit of a pregame warmup controversy as the Warriors noticed one of the rims was higher than 10 feet. The hoop has since been adjusted, but a nice little nugget for the conspiracy theorists out there.

Everyone is in for both teams, and the announcer crew is also intact with Mike Breen returning for Game 3 after spending the first two games in COVID protocols. The Celtics are 3.5-point favorites per DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 212.5. Boston is -150 on the moneyline while Golden State is +130.

Here’s a look at the most popular player props among bettors at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Stephen Curry’s three-pointers prop and Derrick White’s points prop remaining consistent across multiple updates throughout the day. If you’re playing in a DFS Showdown contest, here’s some lineup advice you can take a look at.

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