3 reasons the Warriors can actually beat the Celtics tonight

Facing what will easily be their toughest test of the 2024-25 NBA season thus far, the Golden State Warriors will take their 6-1 record into Beantown on Wednesday night to take on the reigning champion Boston Celtics.

Like the Warriors, the Celtics also enter this matchup with just one defeat, winning seven of their first eight. But also like Golden State, Boston hasn't had the roughest schedule these first two weeks.

Nevertheless, wins are wins and both teams have performed beautifully up to this point.

The Celtics lead the league in scoring at 123.6 points per game, which is undoubtedly linked to the fact that they're putting up a league-leading 50.9 three-point attempts per game, connecting on 37.3% of them.

But it's not just the three-ball that's helped Boston to a 7-1 start. The defending champs have done an excellent job of limiting turnovers, committing just 11.8 per game, the third-fewest in the league.

As for the Warriors, they've also had one of the most potent offenses in the NBA thus far, averaging the third-most points at 121.6. And they're certainly not opposed to putting up shots from beyond the arc. They haven't hoisted as many as Boston, but the Dubs have still averaged the fourth-most three-point attempts with 42.0 per game.

Golden State has also excelled defensively, holding opponents to just 104.3 points per game, the second-fewest in the league. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder have allowed fewer (95.9). The Celtics rank 12th in this regard at 109.6.

So, again, it'll be very interesting to see how all this plays out at the TD Garden on Wednesday night.

Most major sportsbooks have Boston as five- or six-point favorites. But this is a game the Warriors can win. And here's a look at a few reasons why.

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The Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown

This is a big deal.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown will miss his third straight game with a hip flexor injury that's been ailing him since training camp.

Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla says he doesn't think this will be a long-term issue, but it could very well be an issue against the Warriors.

Yes, the Celtics did just fine without him the past two games. But with all due respect, those wins came against the Charlotte Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks. And, yes, Boston has plenty of other weapons that can do some damage, which is why they still averaged 118 points in those two games without him.

But there's going to be a lot of pressure on Jayson Tatum and Derrick White to put up big numbers on Wednesday night. And given Golden State's defensive prowess, that's not going to be easy.

The Warriors can win with their newfound depth

Overall, the Warriors are the deeper team here. And that would still be the case even if Brown were healthy. But with the three-time All-Star sidelined, Steve Kerr's squad must take advantage.

It's no secret that much of Boston's scoring comes from the starting five. As mentioned, the Celtics lead the league in scoring with 123.1 points per game. But on average, just 31.3 of those points come from the bench. And about half of those have come from Payton Pritchard, who's averaging 16 points per outing.

The Warriors, on the other hand, bring a much more balanced attack. Of their 121.6 points per game, roughly 61 have come from reserves. Buddy Hield, of course, has led the charge and actually leads Golden State in scoring at 21.9 points per game.

But it's not as if Hield is the only threat off the bench. Since taking on a reserve role, Jonathan Kuminga has thrived, averaging 17.8 points on 50.0% shooting. Moses Moody can score. Brandin Podziemski can contribute in a number of ways. Even Lindy Waters III has proven to be a threat at times.

Simply put, if the Golden State starters can keep pace with Boston's, the Warriors' bench can win them this game.

Steph Curry helps the Warriors win the three-point battle

You didn't think we'd go this whole time without mentioning Steph Curry, did you?

Naturally, there were fears that the two-time NBA MVP wouldn't suit up for this prime-time matchup due to the ankle injury that forced him to miss three games last week. Thankfully for the Dubs, it turned out not to be an overly serious issue, and he looked fantastic in his return on Monday against the Washington Wizards, scoring 24 points and adding six assists and three rebounds.

And that was in just 24 minutes, as Kerr had him on a firm minutes restriction, which shouldn't be the case against the Celtics.

Given the numbers mentioned above, there are obviously going to be a lot of three-point attempts during this game. And it's a battle the Warriors may need to win to win this game. Naturally, having Curry back in action will help them do that.

While Boston puts up more triples, Golden State is more accurate from beyond the arc, making 39.1% of its attempts. The Celtics aren't far behind at 37.3%, but a couple of percentage points could end up making the difference here. If Curry and the Warriors can win in this aspect, they'll hand the Celtics their second loss.