Portland Trail Blazers at Boston Celtics
Wednesday, 12/1/10, 7:30 PM EDT, TV: NBA TV
Opening Point Spread: Boston -7
Current Betting Line: Boston -7
Opening Total: 187
Current Total: 186
Portland managed just 11 points in the final 12 minutes of Tuesday’s 88-79 loss at Philadelphia and the team is averaging just 15.3 points in the final frame during its four-game losing streak. “We’re getting open looks and we’re not knocking down shots,” said head coach Nate McMillan. “You’ve got to take care of the ball, you’ve got to defend the ball and you’ve got to score in this league.” The Blazers .402 all-time winning percentage against Boston is its lowest mark among all NBA opponents. The team may have a prolonged scoring drought in facing a team that is holding opponents to 92.9 points per game on 43.9 percent shooting. Portland is 2-2 ATS when playing on back-to-back days this season and the NBA lines page has them as a road underdog.
The Trail Blazers are currently on a four game road swing against Eastern Conference opponents, losing the first two games of the trip, but still hold a 4-3 record against the East this season. Portland is averaging 92.8 points in the second game of back-to-back sets compared to 102.3 in the first game. Overall, the team is 2-2 in the second game of back-to-back sets this season, with all of them coming on the road. It’s important to note that the Blazers are allowing 10.8 points more per game against Western teams (100.7) than Eastern opponents (89.9)
Boston may have a perfect 7-0 record against its own conference at the TD Garden this season, but its dropped four in a row at home to the West since a 94-86 victory over Sacramento on March 26. The Celtics have faced just one Western opponent at home this season, dropping a 89-84 contest to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The squad won last year’s series, 2-0, with Paul Pierce leading the team with an average of 16.5 points and shooting 50 percent from three-point range. Point guard Rajon Rondo was also instrumental in victory, averaging a double-double, scoring 14.5 points and dishing out 10.0 assists per contest. Boston is 0-3 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points this season.
The Celtics outscored the Cavaliers 35-22 in the second quarter in their latest 106-87 win. Boston has been nicked up by injuries throughout the season and Rondo has stated that his foot troubles will likely last the entire season. “He’s the one who runs our team,” said forward Kevin Garnett. The star point guard scored a season-high 23 points with 12 assists in the victory over Cleveland. “I’ve been playing a lot of minutes,” said Rondo. “I want to play as many minutes as possible. If I’m willing and my health is fine.”
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Blazers are 1-5-1 ATS as a road underdog of 5.0 to 10.5 points, while the Celtics are 9-4 ATS with zero day’s rest.
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