The Boston Celtics wrap up a four-game road trip on the West Coast when they face the Los Angeles Clippers and aim to sweep the Pacific Division. The Celtics took down the Warriors, Kings and Lakers, which are all teams they lost to at home this season, and now are on the final leg of redemption. The Clippers continue to overachieve with their ragtag group by winning four of their last five games at home and have a stranglehold on the eighth seed in the West.
The Celtics opened as 2-point favorites with a total of 227.
Celtics vs Clippers Game Center
STANDOUT STATS
- The Celtics have won their last three road games over the Lakers, Kings and Warriors. In those games, the Celtics held each team to less than 110 points and 28 percent from three-point range on 91 attempts.
- The Clippers are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five games at home and are 8-4 ATS in 12 home games vs Eastern Conference teams.
- In eight games as a home underdog this season, the Clippers are 2-6 SU and ATS and have dropped their last five games in that spot by an average of seven points per game.
- The total has gone UNDER in 10 of the Celtics’ last 12 games on the road (avg. combined score: 215.75) but the OVER has hit in the Celtics’ last three games vs the Clippers (avg. combined score: 232.67).
- Three-point shooting will be key for the Clippers as they rank second in the NBA in three-point efficiency (38.4 percent) on 26.9 attempts per game. They also guard the arc very well as they’ve held teams to 33.1 percent (ranked third) on 30.8 attempts.
My Best Bet for Celtics vs Clippers
Celtics -2
Call it the revenge tour, redemption run or whatever you want to call it, the Celtics look to be on a mission. They’ve beaten the Warriors, Kings and Lakers on their home floors and although they might be without Jayson Tatum for this matchup, Boston is one of the few teams that can have a starter be out and not miss a beat. Obviously, my woes with the Celtics are well documented as I’m about 50-50 on bets with them this year because you don’t know if they’re motivated or if drama will spill out onto the court.
That being said, their defensive intensity has picked up by limiting those decent three-point shooting teams to less than 30 percent in those games and I think they have the edge against an overachieving Clippers team. I also don’t like how LA has fared as a home underdog this season, which means when the good teams come to Staples Center, the Clippers aren’t as successful. As long as the Celtics are playing like the Celtics, I’m going to roll with them over the majority of teams in road games.
