Tip-off: 0105, 14/02/2020
Stadium: TD Garden
TV: Sky Sports
The final match before the beginning of the NBA All-Star Weekend sees Boston Celtics host Los Angeles Clippers at TD Garden, with each team placed third in their respective conferences.
Both sides comes into the contest on the back of road-trip defeats, with the Celtics falling to the Houston Rockets, while Los Angeles struggled in Philadelphia.
The Clippers’ away form has been shaky of late, with a 6-4 record from their last 10 matches on their travels.
Boston, meanwhile, have boosted their chances of a home play-off place with a run of six straight wins at this venue.
We believe Boston can extend that streak and cover a 1.5 points start on the spread at 91/100 for our first Celtics vs Clippers prediction.
A Look At Boston Celtics’ Betting Odds
The Eastern Conference clubs have been strong at home this season, with five teams having single digits in the losses column when playing in front of their own fans.
Boston are one of those, with just five defeats from their 27 matches at TD Garden.
Point guard Kemba Walker – who will start for Team Giannis during the All-Star Game on Sunday in Chicago – will look to impress his captain with a strong showing, while Jayson Tatum will be on the opposing bench for Team LeBron.
Walker missed three games with soreness in his left knee earlier this month but has returned to action with 15, 27 and 14-point displays in his last three games.
Gordon Hayward is starting to show real consistency for the first time since joining the Celtics in 2017, while Jaylen Brown has had a superb campaign.
Tatum earned himself a maiden All-Star call-up following a string of impressive performances where he has scored at least 20 points in each of the last six home games.
He has also recorded at least four assists in each of the last three contests at TD Garden and we fancy him to reach that figure once again at 6/5 from the Celtics vs Clippers odds.
A Look At Los Angeles Clippers’ Betting Odds
The acquisitions of Paul George and reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard instantly turned the Clippers into NBA championship contenders and they have lived up to the billing so far this season.
Although they have stuttered recently, Los Angeles look set to secure a home play-off and are only 4.5 games behind arch-rivals and Western Conference leaders the Lakers.
Leonard has led the way since his trade from Toronto Raptors, averaging 27.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists this campaign.
George hit his fifth double-double of the season in Philadelphia but injury has limited him and Leonard to feature in just 33 and 41 games respectively from the Clippers’ 54 outings.
Lou Williams, who is a three-time winner of the Sixth Man of the Year award, contributed 25 points against the 76ers, but Leonard’s recent scoring form is the most significant factor.
In his last four away games, Leonard has averaged 30.75 points per match, with a low of 29 in that run.
This consistency points towards another strong performance and he is 3/4 to register over 26.5 points, which rounds off our Celtics vs Clippers betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
Houston 116-105 BOSTON
Philadelphia 110-103 LA CLIPPERS
Head-to-head: Clippers 107-104 Celtics, Clippers 140-115 Celtics, Celtics 112-123 Clippers, Celtics 119-129 Clippers
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