The Boston Celtics head west to take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
Boston has struggled all season long with inconsistent form but in their last six games, the Celtics have resembled the team that opened the season with an 8-3 record last December. With only one loss during that span, the Celtics are looking to finish the season strong. Meanwhile, the Blazers have overcome injuries and put themselves in playoff position. However, Portland has dropped four out of its last six games and need to right the ship before they lose ground.
The Celtics are 28-26 on the season and they are just in third place in the Atlantic Division and 7th place in the Eastern Conference which isn’t where they thought they would be at this stage of the season. Boston has won seven out of its last 10 games, including their last three.
In their last game, the Celtics came back from 14 points down to defeat the Denver Nuggets 105-87. Boston closed the game with a scintillating 40-8 run to end the Nuggets’ eight-game winning streak at their home court. Jayson Tatum scored 28 points after dropping 53 in his previous game while Brown added 20 points and 8 rebounds. Meanwhile, Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker each scored 14 points to help the Celtics’ cause.
Boston ranks 16th in the league in scoring at 112.4 points per game and they are 15th in scoring defense at 111.5 points per game allowed. The Celtics are 15th in rebounding at 44.1 rebounds per game, 23rd in passing at 23.2 assists per game.
The Blazers are 31-22 on the season and they are 3rd in the Northwest Division and 6th in the Western Conference team standings. Portland has withstood injuries to key players early in the season to be in playoff position at this stage of the season. But the Blazers have struggled as of late with just two wins in their last six games played.
Portland lost to the Miami Heat 107-98 in their most recent game played. Damian Lillard had his second off night in four games and was held to just 12 points. C.J. McCollum and Norman Powell led Portland with 17 points each while Enes Kanter had 10 points and 8 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony went scoreless in only 16 minutes of playing time.
The Trail Blazers are ranked 7th in the league in scoring at 114.7 points per game this season. They have the league’s 4th worst scoring defense at 115.5 points per game allowed. Portland is also just 18th in rebounding at 43.9 boards grabbed per contest and are dead last in passing at 20.3 assists per game.
Boston is 5-1 SU in their last six games played. The Celtics are 11-16 in 27 road games played this season, and 4-1 SU in their last five games against the Northwest Division. Portland is 2-4 SU in their last six games played. The Blazers are 5-2 SU in their last seven games against the Eastern Conference, and 7-2 SU in their last nine games against the Atlantic Division. Head to head, the Celtics are 5-2 SU in their last seven games against the Blazers.
The Celtics have been inconsistent all season long and they need to put up a strong finishing run to ensure their entry to the playoffs.
Boston has shown signs of life lately and they have been on a roll in their last three games. The Celtics will try to carry the momentum of their stirring comeback win against the Nuggets.
Portland has been in a slump as of late and they are coming off a game where their high-scoring backcourt combined to shoot only 10-28 from the floor, combining for just 29 points. The Blazers have dropped four out of their last six games by an average margin of 15.8 points per game.
I’ll ride Boston’s momentum here. The Celtics are clicking right now and they may be playing their best basketball since December when they were 8-3. The Blazers have been the more consistent team this season but I think the Celtics are at their best form of the year.
Prediction: Boston Celtics
The Celtics are 4-2 ATS in their last six games played. Boston is 4-1 ATS in their last five games played on the road, 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games after scoring 100 or more points in their previous game, and 3-1 ATS in their last four games when playing on one day rest. However, Boston is 4-13-1 ATS in their last 18 games after an SU win, 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games after an ATS win, and 3-13 ATS in their last 13 games after an SU win of more than 10 points.
Portland is 2-4 ATS in their last six games played. The Blazers are 2-6 ATS in their last six April games, 8-4 ATS in their last 12 Tuesday games, 4-1 ATS in their last five games after an ATS loss, 4-1 ATS in their last five games as favorites, and 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games against a team with a losing road record. Head to head, the Celtics are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games against the Blazers. Boston is also 14-5 ATS in their last 19 meetings in Portland.
Both teams head to this game trending in opposite directions. The Celtics have won four out of their last five games played including their last three. Meanwhile, the Blazers have dropped four out of their last six assignments and are coming off a loss to the Miami Heat. The Celtics are just 11-16 on the road but the Blazers aren’t too good at home either just 16-11 on the season. I like how the Celtics are playing right now. Give me the road team to pull off the upset.
Prediction: Boston Celtics +1
The total has gone under in eight out of the last nine games played by the Celtics. The 4-0 in Boston’s last four games after an ATS win, 7-1 in their last eight games played after scoring more than 100 points in their previous game, 6-1 in their last seven games when playing on one-day rest, 5-1 in their last six games after an ATS win, and 4-1 in their last five Tuesday games.
The total has gone under in five out of the last six games played by the Blazers. The under is 5-0 in their last five games as home favorites, 6-0 in their last six home games, 4-1 in their last five games after a straight-up loss, 6-2 in their last eight games when playing on one day rest, and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games after an ATS loss.
Head to head, the total has gone over in six out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams. The over is also 4-1 in their last five meetings. The Celtics have scored 116 or fewer points in five out of their last eight games and have gone under eight times in their last 10 games. Portland has one of the worst defenses in the league but is 7th in the league in scoring at 114.7 points per game. These teams have combined to score an average of 127.2 points per game in their last 10 meetings. Give me these teams to hit the under in this contest.
Prediction: Under 228
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