NBA: WIZARDS ROBBING CELTICS’ CASH
The Washington Wizards performed magic acts against the Boston Celtics, robbing the cash from their backers the last three times they met.
Underdogs in all three matchups, the Wizards not only cashed in against the spread (ATS) but won each of those three games straight-up as well. More impressive, those victories account for just three of the 16 losses Boston had all of last season.
Since winning the title last year, Boston has continued to dominate with a 20-2 record this season, going 11-10 ATS. Washington is 4-15 (9-10 ATS) but will be looking for a big performance to keep the streak going against Boston.
The Wizards host the Celtics on Thursday in the opening game of a televised doubleheader on TNT. This matchup is followed by Portland at Utah and you can get the latest odds for each game on our Live Odds page.
Washington has always presented a matchup problem for Boston with the quickness of power forward Antawn Jamison, small forward Caron Butler and even shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson. They also provide very athletic players off the bench that the C’s have trouble guarding.
And while Boston should be well rested after last playing on Sunday in Indiana, they have failed to cover their last two road games and were fortunate to even beat the Pacers as well as the Charlotte Bobcats a week earlier.
The Wizards have been trying to survive without their star guard, Gilbert Arenas, who still needs to return from his knee surgery. Washington’s last game was a 107-94 win over Detroit on Tuesday night. They also almost beat the Lakers at home last week, eventually succumbing by two points, 106-104.
One final note on this series, the underdog has gone 11-3 ATSso this could be a lot closer than expected.
The second half of the doubleheader features Portland (15-8) at Utah (14-9). Portland won their first six games after reinserting Greg Oden into the starting lineup from his injury. Those wins included their first three games of a five-game East Coast trip.
After that though, Portland got embarrassed in Boston, won a one-point game in Toronto and then returned home Tuesday night and lost to Orlando 109-108 as five-point favorites.
Against the Orlando Magic, Oden was limited to just 11 minutes due to foul trouble and that left him with two points and one rebound on the night. It also disappointed the Portland fans who couldn’t wait to see their big man go against Dwight Howard in the “Battle of the Behemoths’.
Oden will be needed against a Utah team that’s 9-3 at home and 7-5 ATS there. The Jazz are playing great at home and struggling on the road (5-6) is one of the biggest obstacles stopping them from making the NBA Finals.
Utah last played on Tuesday night at Minnesota and squeaked out a 99-96 victory. The Jazz’ home record also isn’t as imposing as it seems as they are 3-3 there straight-up after opening 6-0. And those three defeats came against Miami, New Jersey and Chicago, none of them powerhouses.
A lot of that has to do with the absence of star forward Carlos Boozer, who has missed the last 11 games with a strained quad.
He is doubtful for Thursday night, making the Jazz very vulnerable again.
