Boston Celtics AT Washington Wizards
April 11, 2011 at 7 PM EST
Opening Line: Bos -7
Current Line: Bos -6.5
Opening Total: 193
Current Total: 192
Opening Moneyline: Bos -300 / Was +250
Current Moneyline: Bos -300 / Was +250
This game means a lot to Boston. The Celtics ideally would like to lock up the number 2 seed by winning both their games and having Miami lose 1 of 2, causing a tie, a tie which would go to Boston via means of the tiebreaker. The Celtics have only won 5 of their last 11 games and are coming off a bad 23 point loss to the Heat. Pierce and Garnett both had good games, with 24 and 21 points, respectively, but Rondo struggled badly, scoring just 7 points with his 5 assits and 3 turnovers.
Rivers realizes the importance of the loss to Miami, especially in terms of making a statement. “We’d like to play them, I can tell you that,” Rivers said of a playoff rematch with the Heat. “And we may have to if we want to go somewhere.”
Perhaps it would be easier to swallow the loss to Chicago if the Celtics had been winning, but they have won just 8 of their last 18 games, allowing Chicago to propel past them in the standings, driven by likely MVP Derrick Rose.
The Wizards, despite having very little to play for, have played hard. Part of it can be attributed to having a roster of players eager and hungry to either establish themselves (John Wall, Jordan Crawford, Othyus Jefferies, and Larry Owens) or re-establish themselves (Mo Evans, Yi Jianlian). The mix of player eager to forge their way into the NBA has created a hard working environment in Washington. Though Washington has gone just 4-6 and suffered a bad defeat to Indiana, it has to be taken as positive steps moving forward and into next season.
Commenting on the loss to Indiana, “Energy caught up to us,” Flip Saunders said after his team’s season-best three-game winning streak was snapped. “I was worried before the game. Guys just didn’t seem to have that pep in their step. We almost really lost the game in the first seven minutes.” It will take a more concerted effort to have any chance of beating the Eastern Conference Champs.
The Wizards did just blow out the Hawks, who currently sit at the 5th seed in the East. It’s positive steps for a team that hopes to just make the playoffs next year.
Some betting trends:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston’s last 6 games and the total has also gone UNDER in 10 of their last 12 on the road. The Celtics are 1-4 SU in their last 5 on the road and they are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 on the road. Boston is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 on the road and the total has gone UNDER in 4 of the last 6 against the Washington Wizards. Boston is 8-2 in their last 10 games against the Wizards and the total has gone OVER in 10 of the last 14 road games in Washington. Boston is 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games on the road against the Wizards.
Washington is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games and the total ahs gone UNDER in 15 of the Wizards’ past 23 games. Washington is 7-18 SU in their last 25 games and they are 6-12 SU in their last 18 games at home. Washington is 4-1 SU in their last 5 at home and the total has gone UNDER in 8 of their last 12 at home. The total has also gone UNDER in 4 of the last 6 games against the Celtics. Washington is 2-8 SU in their last 10 games against Boston and the total has gone OVER in 10 of Washington’s last 14 games against Boston.
Key Matchup:
John Wall vs. Rajon Rondo
It’d be odd to call a player that has had the kind of season Wall has had as a disappointment, but after going into the year as the odds on favor at Bodog to win the Rookie of the Year award, anything less than a smashing success could be labled a disappointment. Fair or not, the label has been applied by many pundits when describing Wall. All that aside, he is clearly a future all star and will be a career long starter, save an injury deriding his career. On the other side of the ball is the league leader in assists in Rajon Rondo. Rondo’s assists have sometimes come at the cost of passing on easy shots and his mid range game still needs a lot of work; and improvement at the free throw line wouldn’t hurt either. For as prounounced as those weaknesses are, Rondo (and Rudy Gay) is still a prize crowning jewel of his weak draft class.
There really isn’t much more to this game than an opportunity to watch John Wall and Rondo go at it. The Andray Blatche vs. Kevin Garnett sideshow should be fairly good, but Wall is the engine of the Washington offense and it all begins and ends with how well he can handle Rondo’s defensive pressure. Washington is relishing the role of the spoiler, making things difficult with the group of hard working young players and castoffs, so don’t write Washington off quite yet.
