To the surprise of many, the Boston Celtics stole Game 1 on the road against the favored Golden State Warriors by giving the Warriors a dose of their own potent scoring medicine. There were several highs from Golden State’s return to the NBA Finals, but it was Boston who came out more prepared in the series opener.

Nitrobetting is ready to dish out some timely assists to our bettors all throughout the 2022 NBA Playoffs and beyond. This time, let’s recap the three biggest takeaways from Game 1 between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors.

Three Takeaways from Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals

Three-Ball Shooting Spree

Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals was the perfect encapsulation of today’s NBA play style. The Celtics pulled off the road upset over the Warriors, 120-108, as the two teams went ballistic with a stunning shootout from long range.

Boston and Golden State combined for a whopping 40 three-pointers made Thursday, which set a new NBA Finals single-game record. The Celtics accounted for 21 of those 40 three-pointers in the contest and shot a blistering 51.2 percent from deep at that (21-of-41). And while the Warriors pitched in with 19 threes of their own, they only made 42.2 percent of those shots from downtown.

Horford Hungrier Than Ever

In a night when Boston’s star player, Jayson Tatum, had just 12 points on a dismal 3-for-17 shooting night, the rest of Tatum’s supporting cast came to the collective rescue to steal Game 1 from under the Dubs. In particular, it’s been long-time NBA veteran Al Horford who made the most out of his NBA Finals debut that’s been a long time coming.

Horford finished with a team-high 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, including six three-pointers (the most for any player in league history in his first NBA Finals game). The 36-year-old big man, along with key contributions from Jaylen Brown (24 points) and Derrick White (21 points, five three-pointers off the bench), inspired a 17-0 Boston run in the middle of the fourth quarter to dampen any hopes of a Warriors comeback.

Curry Lacking Spice Late

Early in Thursday’s game, it appeared as though the Warriors were going to cruise to a Game 1 victory given how Stephen Curry was knocking down his shots. Curry nailed six three-pointers in the first quarter to set a new NBA Finals record himself and had 21 points by the end of the quarter.

However, the two-time league MVP fizzled in the second quarter by going scoreless entering halftime. Curry also came out flat with the Dubs on the ropes, as he scored just four points in the fourth after getting his mojo back briefly during Golden State’s typical third-quarter push that saw the team take a 12-point lead heading into the final frame. That resulted in the Warriors dropping their first home game this postseason and will need to go back to the drawing board if they’re to avoid falling into a 0-2 hole in the series.

Celtics vs. Warriors Game 2 Odds

The Warriors open the lines as (-4) favorites to win Game 2 and to even up the series at one game apiece. Create a Nitrobetting account now to put your NBA Finals betting skills to the test with our special Bitcoin Squares and Picks contests for even more chances to win bitcoin beyond the usual NBA Finals game odds!

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.