Clippers vs. Celtics Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
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Charlie Grant
The NBA treats bettors to a possible Finals preview on the last night of action before the All-Star weekend when Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers visit Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics. Both sides are coming off a loss and hoping to erase the bad taste from their mouths before the break.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Los Angeles Clippers come into Beantown after suffering a setback to the Sixers on Wednesday night. It was their second loss in their last three games dropping their record to 37-17.
LA shows a penchant for bouncing back from defeats. The club is 6-0 against the spread in their last six games coming off an ATS loss, and 24-7 ATS in their last 31 games coming off an outright loss.
The Clippers are just 3-6 against the number as road underdogs this season, but they are 14-7 ATS versus Eastern Conference foes this season. They took down the Celtics 107-104 in overtime when the two sides met back in November, but the C’s ended up covering as 7-point away underdogs.
Boston is coming off a 116-105 home loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. It marked just the second loss in the club’s last 12 contests. The Celtics sit in third place in the Eastern Conference at 37-16.
The records on paper might suggest that these two teams are evenly matched, but the futures board tells another story. Sports Interaction lists the Clippers at +310 to win the NBA title and the Celtics at +2200.
It’s a narrow spread in this game and the early action suggests bettors are just as split. About 54 percent of SIA customers are backing the Clippers to cover as 1.5-point underdogs.
L.A. Clippers
Paul George hasn’t looked himself since returning from a hamstring injury that kept him out for nine games. PG-13 hasn’t scored more than 23 points in a game since returning to the lineup on January 30th. The Clippers are 4-3 SU and 3-4 ATS during that seven-game sample.
George hit just three of his 15 attempts from the field during Tuesday’s tilt against the Sixers. He was guarded primarily by Josh Richardson and Ben Simmons – two elite perimeter defenders. Things might be slightly easier against the Celtics for George.
Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum is quickly becoming the focal point to Boston’s offence. The third year forward is averaging 25.5 points, 7 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 44.3 percent from 3-point range over his last 13 games.