The NBA Finals again come to Boston as the Celtics face the Golden State Warriors at home, down 3-2 in the series. Here is what’s anticipated for this potentially decisive game for the 2022 title.

Warriors Hoping To Close Out Series In Boston

The Warriors have their first chance to eliminate the Celtics as Game 6 commences tonight at TD Garden, with the Golden State holding the lead in the series. A win tonight for the visitors would give them their seventh NBA Championship and fourth since 2015. Boston hopes to avoid its second straight loss at home and have a chance to play Game 7 in San Francisco this coming Sunday.

The Celtics were able to contain Stephen Curry after his 43-point outburst in Game 4 and limited him to just 16 points on 0-9 shooting from beyond the arc in the last matchup. They also outrebounded the Warriors 47-39 and held them to 9 of 40 shooting as a team from three-point range. However, they still came up short and were sent back to Boston in a 3-2 hole.

Despite their efforts in Game 5, Boston didn’t win the game because of two factors. First, they had many opportunities at the free-throw line but missed ten of their 31 attempts. They also had 18 turnovers on Monday after having 15 in the previous loss in Game 4. If the Celtics don’t improve in these two areas tonight, they could be watching the Warriors celebrate another championship at TD Garden after this one’s over. 

The Celtics will win at home to force Game 7 on Sunday.

NBA Draft Coming Quickly

There have been a couple of recent moves by NBA teams this week as the draft is now just one week away. Most recently, the Dallas Mavericks traded away Boban Marjanovic, Marquese Chriss, Trey Burke, Sterling Brown, and their 26th pick in next week’s draft to the Houston Rockets to acquire power forward Christian Wood.

The deal will be completed on draft night, as the Mavericks must make a first-round pick after not having one last year. Teams are prevented from not having a selection in the first round for two years in a row. 

Wood spent three seasons with Houston and averaged 17.9 points and 10.1 rebounds. He shot 51% from the field and 39% from three-point range this season and is in the final year of a $41 million three-year deal. The Mavericks can opt to extend his contract up to six months after the completion of the trade.

In other draft news, the Philadelphia 76ers have been actively shopping for a team to trade their first-round pick to add an established player to their roster. They have also been rumored to be exploring a trade involving forward Danny Green and that 23rd pick before the draft takes place next Thursday night.

The Sixers needed to wait to see if the Brooklyn Nets would use the first-round pick they acquired in the James Harden trade this year or in 2023. The Nets opted to defer that pick until next year, giving Philadelphia a chance to keep their selection in this draft. The team hopes to upgrade its roster if they wish to advance further than the second round of the playoffs, which they’ve done in four of the last five postseasons.