The Boston Celtics will face off against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night at Staples Center. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Celtics-Clippers prediction and pick.
These two teams have been having very similar seasons. The Celtics are 13-12 and are coming off a disappointing loss in Los Angeles against the Lakers on Tuesday. While the Clippers are also 13-12, they managed to notch a solid win in their last game against the Portland Trail Blazers. This should be a competitive match between two solid teams.
Here are the odds for the Celtics-Clippers Wednesday night NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Celtics-Clippers Odds
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Boston Celtics: +4 (-110)
Los Angeles Clippers: -4 (-110)
Over: 209.5 (-114)
Under: 209.5 (-106)
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
The Celtics are having a somewhat disappointing season, though they have shown some signs of life of late. Through 25 regular-season games, they just barely have a winning record with 13 wins and 12 losses. Boston lost to the Lakers on Tuesday, 117-102, but will look to turn things around on the second of a back-to-back. Celtics head coach Ime Udoka pulled the plug early on last game, with the hope of keeping his guys a bit more fresh for Wednesday.
Boston really struggled defensively against the Lakers, giving up a ton of points in the paint. The Celtics also bricked a number of free throws and struggled to grab rebounds, getting outrebounded by 17. Boston needs to clean these up in order to beat the Clippers.
One of the few bright spots against the Laker was Jayson Tatum, who has been on a tear lately after a sluggish start. Tatum has cemented himself as an NBA star and will look to continue his dominance on Wednesday. The star forward had 34 points and eight rebounds, but he didn't get nearly enough help with Jaylen Brown still sidelined. Brown will be out again, so Boston will need Tatum to step up and get more production from elsewhere.
Why The Clippers Could Cover The Spread
The Clippers have been having a very interesting season without Kawhi Leonard. Through their first 25 games, they have the exact same record as Boston, 13 wins and 12 losses. They've been rather streaky, getting off to a slow start before a long winning streak and then a slump to get back right at a mediocre level.
In their last game, the Clippers were able to overcome some shortcomings in their game against a Blazers team missing Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, among others. The contest was competitive until LA pulled away against the home squad. The Clippers didn't shoot the ball all that well, but their defense stepped up to stifle the shorthanded Blazers. LA has struggled on offense while boasting an elite defense all season long, so the defense will be counted on to stop a Celtics team that could be tired.
The leader of this Clippers team is Paul George. PG is one of the best players in the league, and without Kawhi he has been called upon to carry this Clippers team. George is putting up over 25 points per game but has seen his efficiency drop, so he needs to find his shooting stroke again.
Final Celtics-Clippers Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a close game. Both of these teams are solid and will be competing hard on Wednesday. The Celtics are underdogs going into this game, but they'll be motivated to bounce back from the ugly loss to the Lakers. The Clippers haven't been playing all that well, so pick the Celtics to cover and bounce back in Los Angeles.
FINAL CELTICS-CLIPPERS PICK: Boston Celtics +4 (-110)
FINAL CELTICS-CLIPPERS SCORE PREDICTION: Celtics 113 – Clippers 110
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