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The winner-take-all NBA Finals Game 7 between the Lakers and Celtics is set for tonight at 9:05 PM ET. Coming off a horrid performance Tuesday night, Boston is currently 7 point underdogs at Sportsbook.com.
On Tuesday, a greater percentage of bettors (53%) actually favored the Celtics against the number at Sportsbook.com. It will be interesting to see how they react to the price for Game 7. Still hours from tip-off betting is almost split down the middle as 51% of the action is backing the visiting Celts.
In the game Tuesday night, Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, Pau Gasol added 17 points and 13 rebounds, and the Lakers held Boston to the second lowest-scoring performance in NBA finals history in an 89-67 victory.
Faced with elimination for the first time in this postseason, the defending champion Lakers didn't flinch.
"We're used to being in must-win situations," Bryant said. "The way we look at it, (Game 7) is just a game we've got to win. ... I don't mean to be a buzzkill. I know what's at stake, but I'm not tripping."
These rivals have played a Game 7 four times in their 11 previous finals meetings, with Boston winning all four. But it hasn't happened since 1984-and it hasn't happened to Bryant or Coach Phil Jackson.
There hasn't been a winner-take-all Game 7 since San Antonio finished off Detroit five years ago. Tonight's Game 7 will be just the 17th in NBA history.
In Tuesday's ugly loss, Paul Pierce scored 13 points and Kevin Garnett added 12, but the Celtics' offense was a jumbled, stand-around mess. Rajon Rondo, the late-game hero in Boston's last appearance in Los Angeles, got off to a 1-for-8 shooting start before finishing with 10 points and six assists.
"I thought we'd play better, obviously," Rivers said. "I thought we were ready. ... We played an individual game tonight on both ends. We never gave ourselves an opportunity offensively, because we never trusted each other. Everybody was out to make their own place."
The Lakers improved to 10-1 in the postseason at Staples Center, while the Celtics dropped to 3-4 in closeout playoff games this season-including 0-3 on the road. Boston had nine chances to finish a playoff series away from home in the past three postseasons, but has been successful only once.
Here are some of the key StatFox betting angles that figure to affect this contest:
Favoring LA Lakers:
- BOSTON is 9-21 ATS (-14.1 Units) versus up-tempo teams averaging 83 or more shots/game this season. The average score was BOSTON 96.4, OPPONENT 96.4 - (Rating = 2*)
Favoring Boston:
- BOSTON is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) in road games revenging a road loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons. The average score was BOSTON 104.9, OPPONENT 92.6 - (Rating = 1*)
Favoring OVER the total:
- LA LAKERS are 18-5 OVER (+12.5 Units) after a combined score of 160 points or less since 1996. The average score was LA LAKERS 101.5, OPPONENT 97.1 - (Rating = 1*)
Favoring UNDER the total:
- LA LAKERS are 10-1 UNDER (+8.9 Units) after allowing 80 points or less over the last 2 seasons. The average score was LA LAKERS 100.9, OPPONENT 97.1 - (Rating = 1*)
Don't miss out on your last chance to bet on the NBA this year. Head over to Sportsbook.com now to wager on tonight's Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
