Celtics vs. Bulls Line at -7.5 – February 16
The Celtics vs. Bulls line was coming in at -7.5 February 16, 2012. You can find all the latest NBA betting odds at Sportsbook.com here.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Chicago -7.5 & 180.5
Opening Line & Total: Bulls -8 & 178.5
The Celtics travel to Chicago on Thursday night to try to beat the Bulls for the second time in five days.
Boston doesn’t usually receive this many points, and for good reason. In the past 20 instances where the Celtics were getting eight or more points, they are an amazing 18-2 ATS! When they were a 10-point dog at Orlando on Jan. 26, not only did they cover, but they won the game outright by eight points. Boston just beat a Derrick Rose-less Bulls team by four points on Sunday, and Rose will likely sit this one out too to rest his ailing back. Not only did Rajon Rondo go berserk (32 pts, 10 reb, 15 ast) against whichever guard tried playing defense on him, but the stronger Bulls had just one more rebound than Boston for the entire game.
Boston has been wildly inconsistent all year, starting 0-3, then winning four straight, then losing five in a row, then winning 10-of-12, and finally dropping three of its past four games. Not many of the losses were as bad as Wednesday’s 98-88 home defeat to the hands of the 9-22 Pistons. The Celtics shot 44% FG and just 59% from the foul line (19-of-32 FT). Rondo continues his aggressiveness on offense, shooting 27 times -- 15 more attempts than any other teammate -- against Detroit. Rondo finished with a career-high 35 points and added six assists, five rebounds and four steals. With Kevin Garnett out (hip flexor), Chris Wilcox started in his place and had a strong performance with 17 points (8-of-12 FG) and nine rebounds. But Boston’s other two stars, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, were held to a combined 20 points on 4-of-16 shooting. The C’s have also struggled in their past three trips to United Center, scoring just 84.3 PPG on 40% FG. Rondo has just 8.0 PPG on 32% FG in these three defeats. Although the offense, has stalled at times, Boston’s defense remains fierce, allowing a league-low 87.1 PPG on 41.9% FG (3rd in NBA).
Chicago may not be the same team without reigning league MVP Rose (22.0 PPG, 7.8 APG), but the club is 6-2 SU without him this season. The Bulls improved their home record to 10-1 SU (but fell to 5-6 ATS) with Tuesday’s 121-115 home win over Sacramento. The Kings became the first team to reach 110 points against Chicago this season, but the Bulls were strong offensively, making 52.4% FG and 47.4% on threes. Five players scored 15+ points, led by Luol Deng (23 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds) and Joakim Noah (22 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks). This was quite an improvement for Deng after his 3-of-12 shooting performance in 43 minutes at Boston on Sunday.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (18-9) at PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (16-14)
Sportsbook.com Line: Los Angeles -2 & 188.5
Opening Line & Total: Clippers -2.5 & 190.5
The red-hot Clippers haven’t had much success in Portland, but they have a great chance to leave Rose Garden with a win over the LaMarcus Aldridge-less Blazers.
The Clippers are thriving on the road going 6-2 SU (5-1-2 ATS) in their past eight games away from Staples Center. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers have been a mess at home, allowing 112.7 PPG during a three-game losing skid (SU and ATS) at Rose Garden. And these losses came with LaMarcus Aldridge, who is now out indefinitely with an ankle injury. His absence should allow Blake Griffin (13.8 RPG versus Portland in his career) to dominate the paint more easily. Although both teams played Wednesday night, Portland is playing in its third game in three nights, as the team has played in New Orleans, Dallas, Portland and Oakland in the past six days. After a hard-fought win over Golden State (93-91) on Wednesday where four players logged 34+ minutes, the Blazers have to be tired.
The Clippers needed only one man to log 35 minutes (Randy Foye 36) as they trotted out 13 players in an easy win over Washington on Wednesday. Blake Griffin (21.2 PPG, 11.0 RPG) had 23 points and 15 rebounds against the Wizards, and now has 21.0 PPG and 11.6 RPG in his past five contests. He has also poured in 19.7 PPG and 15.0 RPG in his past three visits to Portland. Chris Paul (18.4 PPG, 9.0 APG) had 16 points nine assists and just one turnover in the win, giving him 48 assists and 10 turnovers in his past five contests. But Paul has been held in check when facing Portland, averaging 13.5 PPG (42% FG) with just 5.0 APG in the two meetings this season. One player who usually steps up against the Blazers is Caron Butler (15.3 PPG), who is scoring 23.5 PPG with 8.0 RPG in his past four games at Rose Garden.
Portland showed its heart in Wednesday’s 93-91 win at Golden State, winning the rebounding battle without Aldridge and winning the game despite a dismal 38.7% shooting on two-point field goal tries. Making 10-of-22 threes (46%) was certainly a key to victory. Gerald Wallace was a perfect 4-of-4 from downtown and 8-of-8 from the foul line, leading his team with 24 points. Wallace has not shot the ball well on the road this year (38.5% FG), but he has been on fire at Rose Garden, making 58% of his FG attempts. He has also connected on 50% of his shots in 21 career games versus the Clippers. Nicolas Batum (13.1 PPG) continued his hot shooting Wednesday with 17 points on 7-of-13 FG. In his past seven games, Batum is averaging 18.1 PPG on 48.4% FG.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
