2022 NBA Finals Game 2 Takeaways
In danger of losing control of their destiny, the Golden State Warriors came out with much more fire than the series opener to win Game 2 of the NBA Finals over the Boston Celtics Sunday, 107-88. The series is now tied at one apiece, and we’re here to break down all the crucial developments that occurred in San Francisco before the Celtics host the next two games in Beantown.
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 2 between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors.
Three Takeaways from Game 2 of Celtics vs. Warriors 2022 NBA Finals Series
One down. Three to go. pic.twitter.com/4HbZ2pk7nf
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 6, 2022
READ MORE: Warriors vs Celtics 2022 NBA Playoffs Game 3 Storylines
The Third Quarter’s the Charm Again for the Dubs
The Warriors had a mere one-point lead at halftime of Game 2 but blew the doors wide open at the start of the second half as they’ve been accustomed to. They outscored the Celtics in the third quarter, 35-14, with the Dubs going on an 11-0 run at one point and capping off the quarter with a buzzer-beating three by Jordan Poole from way downtown to give his team a 23-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Stephen Curry appears determined to finally win his first-ever Finals MVP, as he scored 14 of his game-high 29 points in that huge third-quarter scoring explosion. Poole, meanwhile, added 17 off the bench and went 5-of-9 from deep as the Warriors shot a combined 15-of-37 from three-point range (40.5 percent).
Boston’s Blunders
What’s strange about Game 2 is that Boston shot literally just as well as Golden State from beyond the arc, as the Celtics also converted exactly 15 of their 37 three-point attempts in the loss. However, they only shot 37.5 percent from the field as a whole, and their shooting woes could be mainly attributed to a lot of sloppy play on the court.
Boston committed 19 turnovers on Sunday, with most of them coming in the second half to give the Warriors all the leverage they needed to hang on to a big lead. Those mistakes resulted in 33 points off turnovers for the Warriors, whereas in Game 1, the Celtics had the 21-10 edge in that department.
Who’ll Step Up for the C’s?
On paper, Jayson Tatum’s stat line of 28 points and 12 rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting from downtown is relatively great. However, upon further scrutiny of the game tape, Tatum was really missing more shots than usual (8-of-19 from the field) and coughed up five turnovers to give him a career-worst plus-minus of -36. That’s now back-to-back lackluster performances for Boston’s main man and reigning Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
In turn, the Celtics need more out of Tatum’s supporting cast. No. 2 scoring option Jaylen Brown finished with 17 points Sunday, but went just 5-of-17 from the field. Derrick White (12 points) joins just one of three Celtics players who scored in double-digits in defeat, with Game 1 standouts Al Horford and Marcus Smart being non-factors scoring just two points apiece. Perhaps Game 3 will bring more out of Boston’s struggling stars with the fans cheering in their favor for a change for some proper motivation.
Warriors vs. Celtics Game 3 Odds
The Celtics open the lines as (-3.5) favorites to win Game 3 and gain control of the home-court advantage. 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.
