NBA Betting – Los Angeles Clippers at Boston Celtics
Two of the top teams in the NBA will send the league into its All-Star break when the Los Angeles Clippers visit the Boston Celtics Thursday on TNT. Both teams are coming off road losses on Tuesday and will try to gain a little momentum before the hiatus. CLAIM YOUR WELCOME BONUS HERE -MAXIMUM $1000
The Clips fell to the best home team in the Association and will attempt to split their four-game road trip ahead of the break. Boston saw its seven-game winning streak end in Houston and looks to avenge an earlier 107-104 overtime loss to the Clippers in Staples Center.
Los Angeles Clippers at Boston Celtics
Date and Time: Thursday, February 13, 2020, 8 p.m. ET
Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Opening NBA Odds: Boston -1.5, O/U 224.5
Clippers at Celtics TV Coverage: TNT
Odds Analysis
The top five teams in the Eastern Conference all have at least 21 home victories so far this season. The Clippers get two of them in consecutive games. They lost, 110-103, in Philly on Tuesday. Boston hasn’t been too shabby on the parquet floor with a nifty 22-5 SU and 16-10-1 ATS record. The Cs have won six straight in the Garden going 5-1 ATS in that span. The Clippers are getting 1.5 points on the opening line and they are 5-1 ATS when playing as a dog. They are 4.5 games behind the Lakers in the West with a 37-17 overall record, but LA is only 15-12 on the road after losing two of the first three on this trip.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers can be a dangerous team in the second half of the season if they remain healthy. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have spent more time off the court than they have together on it. Leonard will continue to get his rest days and George has been inconsistent after missing a bunch games at the start of the year due to his shoulder surgery then spending another nine games on the shelf recently with a hamstring issue.
Despite the two superstars missing games and not yet finding that cohesion on the floor, the Clippers are in a good spot. A win over Boston will tie them with Denver for second in the conference standings. With George and Leonard in the starting lineup for the opener of the road trip, the Clips were thoroughly beaten by Minnesota, 142-115, as a 10-point favorite. The Wolves entered that game with just 15 wins and further exacerbated LA’s road struggles. So, with Kawhi sitting the second of a back-to-back the Clips handed Cleveland its worst home loss ever
One of LA’s strengths is its bench with Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell leading a group of reserves that lead the NBA in minutes and points per game. Rotations get all discombobulated with starters out. Patrick Beverly has missed the last three games, hindering the team’s defense and taking Williams out of his normal spot off the bench. And Boston is one team that can match LA’s depth making this an interesting matchup.
Boston Celtics
Getting some injured players back helped the Celtics go on a nice run. They entered Tuesday’s game with Houston winners of seven in a row and 10 of 11 behind an efficient offense and strong defense. Boston has been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA under Brad Stevens and that’s continued this season, even with a plethora of injuries that have affected key players like Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter.
Going against another explosive duo, much like they will on Thursday, the Celtics couldn’t stop James Harden and Russell Westbrook from combining to score 78 points in Houston’s 116-105 win, ending the winning streak. It was an uncharacteristic performance for the Celtics, who committed 18 turnovers and 26 fouls that led to 42 Houston free throw attempts. It was the most points allowed since a 123-108 setback in New Orleans in the outing before the winning streak began.
There’s a chance Brown doesn’t play after hurting his calf. He’s already dealing with an ankle injury and it would be wise to hold him out with the break coming up. His absence would hurt since he averages 20.2 points and 6.4 boards in nearly 34 minutes. Along with Tatum (22.1) and Walker (21.8), they are the only trio of teammates to average more than 20 points per game.
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Kawhi and George have missed time, but the loss of Beverley has really messed with the team’s defense. One thing about the Clippers, though, they are resilient. They haven’t lost two in a row since early November, and that’s their longest skid of the season. They became a deeper team with the addition of Marcus Morris at the deadline, and although it’s tough to win on the parquet floor, Leonard has done it before.
NBA Score Prediction: Los Angeles 113, Boston 108
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