NBA Betting? Celtics vs Blazers Predictions
NBA betting action sees the Boston Celtics taking on the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, Jan. 22 at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore. Cappers Picks provides free NBA handicapping tips all season long.
2015 NBA Picks
Boston Celtics (13-26) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (31-12)
Thursday, Jan. 22
10:00 p.m. ET
Moda Center
TV: Local
NBA Betting Lines: PDX -7.5
NBA Betting Total: 203
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Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics enter this game in the middle of a serious drought. Not only have they lost their last three contests, but they’ve dropped five of their last six.
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Taking it one step further, the team from out East has lost 12 of its last 15, contributing to the 13-26 record that’s currently the third worst in the conference.
Entering the contest against Portland, Boston is the 10th-best team in the NBA in terms of points per game. It’s averaging 102.1 points per contest, which is about the only thing going for a team that’s giving up the fifth-most points per game in the NBA.
Against Portland, look for the Celtics to chase the Blazers off the three-point line.
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Boston is the fifth-worst team in the league at defending the long ball — an area Portland will look to utilize with LaMarcus Aldridge out of the lineup.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers will be without LaMarcus Aldridge for the second-straight contest. In Game 1 without its All-Star, the team fell to the Phoenix Suns.
That, however, shouldn’t deter betters from looking Portland’s way, as the Suns have beaten the Blazers in Phoenix every time they’ve faced off four years in a row.
Against Boston, the Blazers will have a much clearer edge than they did Wednesday night.
Although Aldridge is still out, they’re going up against a team that not only has trouble defending the three-point line, but is also just 25th in terms of shooting percentage from long range.
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The other good news for Portland is that Nicolas Batum seems to be back on track.
The swingman from France has struggled all year, but a solid game two outings ago and a season-high in points on Wednesday gives the Blazers another viable scoring option with its leading points-per-game player out of commission.
NBA Handicapping Trends:
* Under is 8-2 in BOS last 10 road games.
* Over is 5-2-1 in BOS last 8 vs. NBA Northwest.
* Under is 35-16-3 in BOS last 54 Thu. games.
* POR are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 vs. NBA Atlantic.
* POR are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 Thu. games.
* Under is 18-7-1 in POR last 26 home games.
* BOS are 7-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings in Portland.
* Road team is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
4* NBA Prediction: Portland 107 – Boston 93
Boston should give up a lot of open looks to a lot of good shooters, and as a result, the Blazers should get something they haven’t gotten since Jan. 11 against the Los Angeles Lakers — a double-digit win.
Check out our Updated NBA Betting Odds.
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