The Boston Celtics (21-12) close out their 5-game road trip on Saturday against the LA Clippers (12-21). Tip-off from Intuit Dome in Inglewood is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NBA odds around the Celtics vs. Clippers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Celtics lead 1-0
The Celtics are 6-1 in their last 7 games and 3-1 on their road trip so far. They have won their last 2 games, coming off a 120-106 win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday as 10-point favorites with the Under (229) cashing.
The Clippers are playing their best ball of the season, winning 6 straight. They last played on Thursday, beating the Utah Jazz 118-101 as 14-point home favorites with the Under (230.5) cashing.
When the 2 teams met on Nov. 16 in Boston, the Clippers covered the 5-point spread as underdogs in a 121-118 loss. The Over (220) cashed. F Jaylen Brown had 33 points and 13 rebounds while G Payton Pritchard added 30 for the Celtics. G James Harden paced the Clippers with 37 points, 8 assists and 7 boards.
Celtics at Clippers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Celtics -102 (bet $102 to win $100) | Clippers -118 (bet $118 to win $100)Against the spread (ATS): Celtics +1.5 (-115) | Clippers -1.5 (-105)Over/Under (O/U): 220.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)Celtics at Clippers key injuries
Celtics
F Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Clippers
G Bradley Beal (hip) outG Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) outG Chris Paul (not with team) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Celtics at Clippers picks and predictionsPrediction
Clippers 116, Celtics 109
The Clippers have suddenly turned around what looked like an atrocious season. They have won 6 games in a row with F Kawhi Leonard averaging 39.0 points in the win streak. They have held opponents to 98.2 points per game in the win streak, as well, with the Houston Rockets posting the highest total: 108 in a 20-point Clippers win.
But Boston is winning, too, having taken 6 of its last 7. But their last 4 wins have come against sub-.500 teams, and while the Clippers are another team under .500, they are not playing like a losing team.
The Clippers’ last 4 wins have also been against teams with losing records, but their first 2 wins of the streak came against the Los Angeles Lakers and Rockets, both of whom have at least 20 wins this season.
BET CLIPPERS (-118).
While betting the ML is just fine, you can get slightly better value with the spread, only risking a 1-point Clippers win that would not cover the spread. However, the Clippers have not had a 1-point victory this season and have covered the spread in each game of their winning streak.
BET CLIPPERS -1.5 (-105).
Their first meeting this season had a total of 239 points. Each of the Celtics’ last 4 games have reached at least 222 total points.
Of the Clippers’ 6 wins in the streak, only 3 have reached 220. Still, the matchup with the Celtics seems ideal for a scoring fest.
BET OVER 220.5 (-110).
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