Lakers vs. Celtics Free Pick
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The Boston Celtics host the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. This rivalry is instant must see TV, as both teams are playing at an elite level. The Celtics have home court advantage thanks to their Game 2 win. Boston is -2.5 favorites, with a total of 192.5 points expected tonight. ABC will televise the game at 9:00 EDT.
Boston came up with a huge win in Game 2, as they beat the Lakers 103-94 to capture home court advantage. With the next 3 games played in Boston, there is a chance the Lakers have played their final home game of the season. Boston had two standout performances that led to their Game 2 victory. G Ray Allen had a game high 32 PTS, as he made an NBA Finals record 8 three pointers. Allen made 8 of his 11 three pointers, an absolutely dominant shooting performance. PG Rajon Rondo had another triple double with 19 PTS, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Rondo has elevated his game from All-Star to Superstar status during the playoffs this year. Boston played a fabulous game offensively, as they had more than twice as many assists than turnovers. The Celtics only had 2 turnovers in the 2nd half, proof of how efficient this offense was. The Celtics are 63-38 SU and 46-53-2 ATS overall this season. Boston is 31-19 SU and 19-30 ATS in home games this year. Boston is 30-40 ATS as the listed favorite this year, including 5-3 ATS as a home favorite of 3 PTS or fewer. The Celtics have struggled with Pacific Division opponents all season, as they are only 2-9 ATS this year.
The Celtics are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games against a team with a winning road record. The Under is 7-3 in their last 10 playoff games as a favorite.
After a dominating Game 1 win, Los Angeles was dominated on their home floor in a 9 point loss to Boston. The Lakers weren't able to match the Celtics intensity, nor the Celtics guards. Los Angeles needs to have G Kobe Bryant on Ray Allen for all 48 minutes in Game 3, as Allen is shooting fire right now. The Lakers were beaten soundly in the first and final quarters, losing by a combined 16 PTS in those quarters. 3 Lakers scored more than 20 PTS in Game 3, yet no other Laker scored more than 7 PTS. Los Angeles needs more balanced scoring than that if they want to see this series get back to LA. F Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 25 PTS, 8 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots. Gasol was an efficient 7 of 10 from the field, and also made 11 of his 13 free throw attempts. C Andrew Bynum was also dominant, as he had 21 PTS, 6 rebounds, and 7 blocked shots. Bryant was merely average in Game 2, as he only had 21 PTS. Despite the efforts of Gasol and Bynum, the Lakers were outrebounded for the game and they only had 3 more assists than turnovers in Game 2. Los Angeles is 70-30 SU and 43-54-3 ATS overall this season. The Lakers are 27-22 SU and 22-26-1 ATS in road contests this year. The Lakers are only 4-8 ATS as a road underdog of 3 PTS or fewer this season.
The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog. The Under is 13-6-1 in their last 20 games as a road underdog.
Johnny Detroit, Gambling911.com
