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The Boston Celtics face the Golden State Warriors tomorrow at 5 PM ET on TNT. Steph Curry had 27 points while Andrew Wiggins and Buddy Hield added 16 points each as the Warriors took the first matchup between these recent NBA champions in Boston in November, 118-112. The Celtics, looking to win at Golden State for the first time in nearly three years, are looking to split the series for the fourth straight season.
The Celtics are 29-13 and in second place in the Eastern Conference, 6.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have stagnated in the middle of the season, going 8-8 in their last 16 games after a 21-5 start.
Golden State has endured a calamitous stretch. After starting the season at 10-2, including that November win in Boston, the Warriors have gone 11-18, posting losing streaks of three games or more three times. Golden State is 21-20 and currently battling for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Warriors are tied for last place in the Pacific Division with the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. Coach Stever Kerr’s squad is in legitimate danger of missing the postseason for the third time in five seasons.
Let’s review each team’s recent performance while previewing this matchup and making a Celtics vs. Warriors NBA pick.
The defending NBA champions have been particularly sketchy since the start of the new year. Over the last eight games, the Celtics have won four and lost four, alternating results. Last Wednesday, they dropped a 110-97 decision to the Toronto Raptors, a team they had beaten at home by 54 just two weeks prior.
Boston followed that up with a decisive, 22-point victory over the Orlando Magic. Jayson Tatum had 30 points and six rebounds, Kristaps Porzingis added 23 points, and Jaylen Brown had 20 points and six rebounds. However, the team followed that up with a 119-115 defeat in overtime to the Atlanta Hawks last night. Tatum had 23 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, Brown had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Luke Kornet had 17 points and seven rebounds, and Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 20 points.
Tatum is fifth in the league at scoring with 27.7 per game, but those numbers have dipped slightly in the past nine contests, to 25.6 per. It is a troubling stretch of results for a franchise with legitimate back-to-back champion vibes. Although the team is still in second in the East and contrarians point out many championship sides have lulls in the dark days of winter, Boston doesn’t want this malaise to extend much longer.
Golden State has the same record since the calendar turned to 2025: 5-4. It’s not massively alarming. Not impressive. If the Warriors are to get into the playoffs and make any headway, like the Celtics, they need to pick up their level of play soon. After back-to-back losses to the Indiana Pacers and Raptors, Golden State has reeled off tight wins over the disappointing Minnesota Timberwolves (116-115) and league-worst Washington Wizards (122-114).
In last night’s win over Washington, Andrew Wiggins scored a season-high 31 points and added 11 rebounds. He is second on the team with 17.2 points per game this year and is averaging more than 20 points over his last seven contests. Steph Curry, the team’s leading scorer at 23 points a game, chipped in with 26. He is averaging 26.7 points over the last seven games and has scored 30 or more during that stretch.
The stars shined the last time these teams met up in November. Curry had 27 points and nine assists to lead five Warriors in double figures, while Tatum helped make up for the absence of Brown that evening with a game-high 32 points to pace five Celtics in double figures as well. Expect similar performances from the two Olympic Gold medalists tomorrow.
Curry had the slightly hotter hand than Tatum this past week, going for nearly 28 a game in his past three contests, while Tatum has averaged 23 per during the same stretch. Look for the two-time MVP and 10-time All-Star to tally more than 25 points against the Celtics.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.