Celtics vs. Warriors prediction, pick, odds, spread, line for 2022 NBA Finals Game 2

Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals was a wild one that saw the Golden State Warriors build a big lead in the third quarter only for the Boston Celtics to storm back in the fourth quarter to steal the game and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Al Horford led the way for Boston in Game 1 as the veteran big man dropped 26 points and a career-high six 3-pointers while Jaylen Brown added 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Jayson Tatum didn’t have his best game when it comes to shooting, he was just 3-of-17 from the floor, but he did a great job of setting up his teammates as he finished the win with 13 assists. 

In Game 2, the Celtics will look to build off of the momentum they established over the final 12 minutes of the first game, while the Warriors will be looking to bounce back and tie the series up before it shifts to Boston for two straight games. With that said, here’s everything you need to know about Game 2 between Boston and Golden State as well as picks against the spread and straight-up from our CBS Sports NBA experts. 

How to watch Game 2 live

• Game: NBA Finals, Game 2
• Date: Sunday, June 5 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Location: Chase Center — San Francisco, California
• TV: ABC | Live stream: fuboTV (Get access now)
• Odds: BOS +160; GS -190; O/U 215.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)

Celtics vs. Warriors prediction, Game 2 picks

Brad Botkin: We can sit around talking about how Boston’s shooters are going to come back to earth, which is probably true, but is Stephen Curry going to hit six 3s in a quarter again? Is Jayson Tatum going to go 3-for-17 again? I don’t believe in this idea that games are played by computers designed to achieve some theoretical law of average. Over 82 games? Fine. Over two games, one has nothing to do with the other. The Celtics are going to make life hell on Golden State, and vice versa, the same as they did to each other in Game 1 because they are extremely evenly matched. I believe the Celtics are slightly better. I picked them in the series. For this one game, however, I’ll go with the desperate team. This is a must-win for the Warriors. They go down 0-2, it’s over. I don’t believe that’ll happen. But it’ll be close. Celtics with the points, Warriors straight up. Pick: Celtics +4.0 | Warriors 111, Celtics 108

James Herbert: What’s the most chaotic pick I can make? Another Celtics win, but this time it comes down to the final seconds? Let’s go with that. In all seriousness, even if the Warriors force more turnovers (Gary Payton II minutes would help there) and avoid another untimely scoring drought, I am worried about their inability to find a lineup that balances spacing and defense down the stretch. Hope that sounds stupid later; I want (and predicted) seven games. Pick: Celtics +4.0 | Celtics 113, Warriors 111

Bill Reiter: Draymond Green was right: The Warriors did dominate the first 40-plus minutes of Game 1. They’ll extend that feat to the full 48 minutes Sunday, helped by some offensive output from guys like Jordan Poole, some Stephen Curry heroics and a Celtics team whose supporting cast will revert to the mean. Are Al Horford and Derrick White nice players? Yes. Can you count on them for a combined 47 points on 15-of-23 shooting? No. This series is far from over, which will be clear after Game 2 wraps. Pick: Warriors -4.0 | Warriors 123, Celtics 111

Sam Quinn: Let me be the millionth person to say that Boston probably isn’t going to shoot that well again. Yes, yes, I know, we do this dance, like, twice per round… but the Celtics tend to regress after big shooting nights. They have five games this postseason shooting at least 40 percent from 3, and none of them have come consecutively. More pressingly, I’m expecting a slightly sloppier offensive performance from Boston if Gary Payton II plays. The Celtics averaged almost 15 turnovers per game in the Miami series. They had just 12 against Golden State in Game 1. Boston should now be favored in the series, but I give the edge to Golden State to tie things up in Game 2. Pick: Warriors -4.0 | Warriors 109, Celtics 102

Michael Kaskey-Blomain: It seems unlikely that the Celtics will get the same type of performance that they got in the first game from role players like Derrick White, Al Horford and Payton Pritchard in Game 2. It also seems unlikely that the Warriors will drop both of the first two games of the series at home knowing how tough it will be to climb out of a 2-0 hole against a team as good as the Celtics. Look for Golden State to come out focused, just as they did in Game 1, but to maintain it over the course of the contest this time. If they can maintain focus for the full 48 minutes, the series should be headed to Boston tied 1-1. Pick: Warriors -4.0 | Warriors 111, Celtics 104

Jasmyn Wimbish: The Celtics got a career night from Al Horford en route to handing the Warriors their first home playoff loss this season. Golden State went with the game plan of trying to shut down Jayson Tatum and letting everyone else beat them. The first part worked — if you don’t look at Tatum’s 13 assists — but the second part most definitely didn’t go according to plan. It also doesn’t help when Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all have uncharacteristic nights. The Warriors know this is a must-win game, so my guess is they play up to that importance and head to Boston with a 1-1 tie. Pick: Warriors -4.0 | Warriors 115; Celtics 110

Jack Maloney: The Celtics surprised just about everyone (besides Brad and James) by storming back from a 15-point deficit to steal Game 1 and homecourt advantage. That puts a ton of pressure on the Warriors in Game 2; they can’t lose both games in the Bay and go back to Boston down 2-0. They’ll be the more desperate team and will get the job done this time. Pick: Warriors -4.0 | Warriors 115 — Celtics 106

Colin Ward-Henninger: It doesn’t take a basketball genius to realize how important this game is for the Warriors, but it’s not as simple as coming out with the right energy and focus. Boston figured some things out in the fourth quarter of Game 1 that go beyond hot shooting, and it will be up to the Warriors to make adjustments. That being said, I expect Golden State’s supporting cast to provide more help for Steph Curry — Klay Thompson tends to play well in proverbial must-win games, as we all know, and Draymond Green can’t play much worse than he did on Thursday. I may be succumbing to a bit of homerism, but I’m still going to pick the Warriors in this one — perhaps against my better judgment. I do think it will be lower-scoring than Game 1 since the defenses will know what to look for. Pick: Warriors -4.0 | Warriors 105, Celtics 99