NBA Betting – Friday Picks – Charlotte Bobcats vs Boston Celtics
Before nba betting fans turn their attention to more basketball betting events this week, we have some more good Tuesday Night NBA matchups on tap, and our man Lawrence weighs in with his picks for tonight. It’s time for our weekly hoops picks for NBA gambling action.
CLICK HERE TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT AT SPORTSBOOK.COM AND BET $50 ON THE HALF TIME LINE FOR TONIGHT’S NBA MATCHUPS!!!!!!
BOBCATS vs. CELTICS
Time: Friday 7:30 P.M. EST
Venue: TD Garden, Boston
Spread: Celtics -13
Over/Under: 179
Click here for indepth NBA ATS Stats —>
Bet Now At Sportsbook.com —>
Talent wins in the star-driven NBA, and even a cursory look at the Bobcats’ roster will tell you very quickly that Charlotte just does not have enough talent to contend for a spot in the playoffs. And the reason is that Michael Jordan is not one-tenth the NBA executive that he was as a player.
The Bobcats were OK last season, winning 44 games before going down quietly to Orlando in the first round of the playoffs. They had a scorer (Stephen Jackson), a point guard who could start on a lot of teams (Ray Felton) and an energy player (Gerald Wallace) who could take the scoring pressure off Jackson. Not great, but a half-decent core.
But this past off-season the Bobcats failed to sign Felton, who fled to the Knicks, and Wallace was dealt to the Trail Blazers for a few draft picks and three non-rotation players. And with 12 games left in the regular season, the Bobcats have been whited-out of the Eastern Conference playoff scene.
Only Jackson remains as a viable offensive threat, and without Felton’s speed and penetration the Bobcats struggle mightily on offense. They rank next-to-last in the league in points per game.
It’s all added up to a meager 28 victories this season, and a franchise that is still perhaps three decent rotation players away from making any kind of noise in the East.
NBA Trends:
Under is 7-1 in CHAR last 8 road games.
CHAR are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 vs. NBA Atlantic.
Under is 8-0 in BOS last 8 overall.
Under is 8-0 in BOS last 8 vs. Eastern Conference.
Under is 7-3 in BOS last 10 home games.
CHAR are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Boston.
Underdog is 15-4 ATS in the last 19 meetings.
BEST BET: Losses to the likes of Memphis, Houston, New Jersey and the Clippers have caused Boston’s fan base to get restless. The trade of Kendrick Perkins has created some defensive problems, and no one seems to have any idea when (or even if) Shaquille O’Neal will be back from a foot injury.
The Celtics keep pointing out that the same thing happened last year (Boston was a .500 team for the final 54 games of the regular season but still got to The Finals), and not to worry.
On the plus side, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are looking great, and Doc Rivers says he won’t be concerned about playing two nights in a row until the league starts scheduling playoff games on consecutive nights.
Boston is 5-1 this season covering double-digit lines, but the Celtics are not expending much energy these days, so Charlotte +13 looks like the play.
Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling expert from Massachusetts.
