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Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Clippers Gambling & NBA Handicapping Prediction

Boston vs L.A. NBA Picks

For a while there it was looking like the Celtics were going to be a lot better than expected but they have lost their last 5 games and and some of them have been pretty ugly. [ad-4468020]

Boston Celtics (13-21) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (24-13)
Wednesday January 8
Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA
10:30PM
Moneyline: No moneyline currently listed
Spread: Los Angeles -10.5
O/U: 194.5
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Boston

This certainly has the potential for another one of those as they are on the road against top competition. The last time they won a road game was exactly one month ago against the Knicks. This team just doesn’t have a lot going for it right now.

The Celtics have some nice complimentary talent but lack that star level player that demands attention and makes everybody better. SF Jeff Green is having a nice season and is the leading scorer but he doesn’t scare anybody. You can say that for almost every player down their roster as most are making contributions as expected. It just isn’t enough to break through and I don’t having a healthy Rajon Rondo would have made any difference.

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Boston is solid on defense so they haven’t been killing backers this season. However, they fall into a small handful of teams that that you really have to understand before you can any act on them. That is because they can really struggle to score sometimes so when the defensive effort isn’t there it gets very ugly.
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Los Angeles

The Clippers used a return trip home and a weak opponent (Orlando) to get back to winning after getting thumped at San Antonio. The loss to the Spurs also cost them point guard Chris Paul but they have a capable backup so things should be OK depending on the opponent. This definitely looks like one of those games where they won’t miss Paul too much. This team has lost just three times at home this season overall.

In his first start backup PG Darren Collison led the team in scoring with 21. Even better C DeAndre Jordan had a monster game and when he is on this team can be as good as any team in the league because he does the dirty work that Blake Griffin won’t. Even though he is productive averaging 21/10 Griffin is still a little too soft for me. I think sometimes he want too hard to be Hakeem Olajuwon instead of Shawn Kemp.

L.A. is a solid moneymaker this season with a 22-15 ATS record. They are better on the road where the lines are not inflated but they have been taking care of business at home in terms of wins so there is something to build on there. It remains to be seen though how putting Collison on the starting lineup affect how they will close games.

Spread Pick: L.A. -10.5
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: L.A. 107 – Boston 94

By The Wiesguy

The Wiesguy is a newcomer to the handicapping scene. Hailing from Toronto, Canada he is always sweet on the underdogs and you can often find his thoughts, musings and picks at moneydogs.blogspot.com.