2022 NBA Finals: How to Watch Warriors at Celtics Game 6 on Thursday
While it feels like the 2022 NBA Finals have been extremely close, every single game of this series has been decided by double-digits. Game 5 this past Monday was no exception, as the Golden State Warriors cruised past the Boston Celtics 104-94 in a game that Stephen Curry really struggled in.
Curry finished Monday night’s game with just 16 points after scoring 43 points the previous game in Boston and he went 0-9 from three-point land, marking the end of a 233 consecutive game streak in which the two-time MVP had made at least one three-pointer.
If you had said ahead of Game 5 that Steph Curry would have finished with just 16 points and not made a single three, everyone would have said that the Celtics won this game by double-digits, but that was simply not the case.
Turnovers killed the Celtics offensively, the Warriors defense kept Boston out of the paint all night long and for the first-time in this series, Curry got the help that he needed on the offensive-end of the floor.
Klay Thompson had 21 points, Draymond Green showed up with 8 points and coming off-the-bench, Jordan Poole and Gary Payton II combined to score 29 points on 4-9 shooting from three-point range.
Perhaps the most impressive performance in this one though came from former No. 1 overall pick and first-time All-Star Andrew Wiggins, who followed up a 17-point, 16-rebound performance in Game 4 with 26 points and 13 rebounds in Game 5.
Not hitting a single three, Wiggins picked apart the Celtics on the interior offensively and on defense, he not only made Jayson Tatum a non-factor late in the second-half, but he gathered a game-high 13 rebounds.
Now posting back-to-back games with a double-double, Wiggins has been an unlikely catalyst for Golden State in this series and is a key reason why they are just one win away from glory.
Stopping Curry in Game 5 was something the Celtics did to perfection, yet they still lost by double-digits. Now heading home to try and keep their season alive in front of their home fans, Boston faces a tough task in terms of winning Game 6 given that they have now dropped two consecutive games, one of which was on their home floor.
Just one win away from winning yet another championship, will Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors close things out in Game 6 or do Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics have a little bit left in the tank to extend this NBA Finals series to a decisive Game 7?
The NBA Finals are here and this is everything you need to know as to how to watch Thursday’s game, with gametimes and TV, lineups, bios and other must-know details.
How to watch Warriors vs. Celtics
- WHO: Golden State Warriors (3-2) vs. Boston Celtics (2-3)
- WHAT: 2022 NBA Finals - Game 6 (Warriors lead 3-2)
- WHEN: 9:00 p.m. ET, Thursday, June 16
- WHERE: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
- TV: ABC
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
Key Stats & Facts For Warriors vs. Celtics
- The Celtics and Warriors faced off twice during the regular season with each team winning on the road.
- The Warriors finished the regular season ranking first in defensive rating and third in points allowed per game (105.5), while the Celtics finished the regular season ranking second in defensive rating and first in opponent’s points per game (104.5).
- Boston is 34-18 at home this season and Golden State is 26-24 on the road, including the postseason.
- The Celtics are 6-5 at home this postseason, the Warriors are 4-5 on the road.
- Stephen Curry is averaging 30.6 points and shooting 46.2% from the floor, 39.2% from three-point range in the 2022 NBA Finals.
- This is the Warriors sixth appearance in the NBA Finals in the last eight seasons. They are just the fourth NBA team and twelfth franchise amongst the four major sports (NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB) to play in the championship series/game six times in an eight-year span, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
- Jayson Tatum has recorded 400 points, 100 rebounds, 100 assists and 50 three pointers in these playoffs, becoming the youngest player (24) to record such numbers in a single postseason.
What Happened In Game 5?
June 13, 2022 - Warriors 104, Celtics 94
With the series evened up at 2-2, the Warriors came away with a critical 104-94 victory on their home floor against the Celtics. Stephen Curry really struggled to get going offensively, scoring just 16 points and failing to hit a three-pointer, but Andrew Wiggins stepped up with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole and Gary Payton II also gave the Warriors a “spark” offensively, scoring a combined 50 points. Boston shot just 41.3% from the floor for the game and received little to no production outside of Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown, who combined to score 65 points.
Key Stats From Game 5:
- Golden State went 9-40 (22.5%) and Boston went 11-32 (34.4%) from three-point range in Game 5.
- The Warriors turned the ball over 7 times, resulting in 9 points for the Celtics. Boston turned the ball over 18 times that resulted in 22 points for Golden State.
- The Celtics recorded 18 assists on a total of 31 made shots (58.1%), whereas the Warriors recorded 23 assists on a total of 41 made shots (56.1%).
Latest Injury News:
Warriors: James Wiseman (knee) - OUT, Andre Iguodala (back/neck) - QUESTIONABLE, Otto Porter Jr. (foot) - QUESTIONABLE
Celtics: Robert Williams III (knee) - QUESTIONABLE
Projected Starters:
PROJECTED WARRIORS STARTERS:
- G Stephen Curry, 6-2 guard: 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists
- G Klay Thompson, 6-6 guard: 20.4 points, 3.9 rebounds
- F Andrew Wiggins, 6-7 forward: 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds
- F Otto Porter Jr., 6-8 forward: 8.2 points, 5.7 rebounds
- F Draymond Green, 6-6 forward: 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists
PROJECTED CELTICS STARTERS:
- G Marcus Smart, 6-3 guard: 12.1 points, 5.9 assists
- G/F Jaylen Brown, 6-6 guard/forward: 23.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists
- F Jayson Tatum, 6-8 forward: 26.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists
- F Al Horford, 6-9 forward: 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds
- C Robert Williams III (Q), 6-8 center: 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds
Betting Odds:
- The Celtics are currently 4-point favorites over the Celtics as of Thursday morning, according to Fanduel.com.
- The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 210 total points.
What to watch for:
- The winner of Game 5 in the NBA Finals has gone on to win the series 73.3% of the time (22-8). The Warriors won Game 5 over the Celtics 104-94 on Monday night.
- The Boston Celtics were one of the best defensive teams in the NBA during the regular season, ranking second in defensive rating and being the only team to have all five starters receive at least one vote for NBA All-Defensive Team honors.
- The Warriors offensive rating of 114.7 in the 2022 NBA playoffs ranks fourth in the league and they rank second in points per game (112.3) in the postseason.
- The Celtics defensive rating of 106.2 in the 2022 NBA playoffs ranks second in the league and their 101.9 points allowed per game in the postseason ranks third.
- Boston is 7-1 after a loss in the playoffs this year.
- The Warriors are 5-1 under head coach Steve Kerr with a 3-2 series lead in the playoffs.
- Golden State is 46-10 this season when they score at least 110 points, including the playoffs, and Boston is 54-19 this season when they hold their opponents to 110 points or less.
- The Celtics and Warriors have played a total of 28 playoff games and four playoff series all-time, winning all four meetings. The Celtics are 18-10 against the Warriors in the playoffs, including this year, but they have only faced them as the Philadelphia Warriors in 1958, 1960, 1962 and the San Francisco Warriors in 1964.
Related stories on 2022 NBA Finals:
- 3 Things We Learned From Celtics-Warriors NBA Finals Game 5 On Monday: The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 104-94 in Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals on Monday to take a 3-2 series lead heading to Boston for Game 6 on Thursday. CLICK HERE.
- 2022 NBA Finals: Why The Celtics Should Be Very Concerned After Game 5 Loss: Losing 104-94 on Monday night in Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics now trail the Golden State Warriors 3-2 in this series, casting a ton of doubt on their ability to come back and win the title. CLICK HERE.
- 2022 NBA Finals: Why The Warriors Will Close Out This Series In Six Games: Beating the Boston Celtics 104-94 on Monday night in Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors are now one win away from yet another championship. CLICK HERE.
