Kevin Garnett had a vintage “KG” game, but the rest of the Celtics let him down and didn’t give him the victory. Derek Fisher had a vintage “Money” game, and it was enough to beat Boston.
On a night of hard-fought yet sloppy basketball, the Lakers went up 2-1 in the finals and gained back home-court advantage.
Ray Allen – only two days after setting a record for most 3-pointers in Game 2 – had a horrid shooting night Tuesday. He missed all 13 of his shots and came within one miss of another record. Guard Dennis Johnson, then with the Seattle Super Sonics, went 0-for-14 in Game 7 of the 1978 finals against the Washington Bullets.
Allen’s most crucial miss Tuesday came with 54 seconds left and the Celtics down by four. He took a three from the corner and couldn’t convert a shot that would have put the Celtics within one and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Allen and Paul Pierce combined for a measly 5-for-25 shooting night and the rest of the team didn’t fare any better. They shot 44 percent from the floor and wasted Garnett’s 25 points on 11-16 shooting. Rajon Rondo wasn’t able to repeat his Game 2 performance either, going 5-for-10 with only 11 points.
The Lakers didn’t do much better from the field. Kobe Bryant went 10-for-29 and took several bad shots. The Lakers combined for 45 percent shooting, but Derek Fisher came to the rescue. He took over late and scored 11 of his 16 points in the final quarter.
The teams came out with a lot of energy and the Boston crowd was deafening. Despite the ferocious play Los Angeles and Boston combined for 173 points, well below the 192 ½ total that was offered by most sportsbooks. I expect the points to go up in Game 4, but I think the teams might again fail to go over the total.
With Boston most likely dictating the pace of the game at home, expect another low scoring game. Most sportsbooks have the total at 190. Pinnacle offers a variety of totals, and the under 190 ½ at -111 seems to be the most interesting.
The Celtics go into Game 4 as the 3 ½ point favorite. They are looking to bounce back from the poor shooting performance of Game 3. Expect Allen and Pierce’s numbers to go up, which will have an impact on the Celtics’ overall game.
I can’t see Garnett having another performance like the one he had Tuesday night, but he could be a major factor in whether the Celtics will be able to bounce back and tie the series. Most sportsbooks seem to have a consensus on the moneyline with the Lakers at +145 and the Celtics at -165.
If you believe that we will see a zig-zag series, with the teams trading wins, and you want to put your money on the Celtics Thursday night, Pinnacle is the place for you to go. They offer the best deal on Boston’s moneyline at -161.
Pinnacle offers a variety of prop bets as well. The most interesting is Ray Allen’s individual total. After scoring 12 points on a bad shooting night in Game 1, Allen rebounded with a big night in Game 2. If you believe he can have a similar turn-around after Tuesday’s stink-bomb, go to Pinnacle and check out his total. The sportsbook will give you $102 for your $100, if Allen scores more than 17.5 points.
Kobe has scored 30, 21, and 29 in the series so far. Pinnacle has his individual total at 28.5, and unless you expect a big scoring night from him, the under at +108 is worth a look.
