NBA Best Bets Tonight: Free Expert Picks for NBA Finals Game 1 Celtics vs. Warriors

NBA Best Bets Tonight: Free Expert Picks for NBA Finals Game 1 Celtics vs. Warriors

This article is part of our NBA Picks series.

Warriors moneyline (-165) vs. Celtics

DraftKings, 2:29 PM CT

Alex Barutha: I'd be surprised if Golden State lost Game 1. They have the fresher legs and are at home, plus their offensive style is difficult to adjust to without actually playing it first. It's such a far cry from the woeful and uncreative offenses of Milwaukee and Miami, and Boston struggled with both of those. I expect Steve Kerr to have his team much more prepared for the opening of the series than Ime Udoka, as good as he's been.

Warriors -3.5 (-115) vs. Celtics

DraftKings Sportsbook, 1:15PM CT

Nick Whalen: Nothing flashy here for Game 1. While I'm expecting a close game and a strong effort from the Celtics, the level of competition rises in the Finals, and in a Game 1 at home, this is where the Warriors' pedigree shines through. Over the course of the series, an intangible like that will wear off, but I expect Golden State – which has a long history of winning Game 1s and is undefeated at home in these playoffs – to set the tone and jump out to a 1-0 series lead.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Alex Barutha
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
Nick Whalen
Now in his 10th year with the company, Nick is RotoWire's Senior Media Analyst, a position he took on after several years as the Head of Basketball Content. A multi-time FSGA and FSWA award winner, Nick co-hosts RotoWire's flagship show on Sirius XM Fantasy alongside Jeff Erickson, as well as The RotoWire NBA Show on Sirius XM NBA with Alex Barutha. He also co-hosts RotoWire's Football and Basketball podcasts. You can catch Nick's NBA and NFL analysis on VSiN and DraftKings, as well as RotoWire's various social and video channels. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @wha1en.
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