Free NBA Pick: Clippers vs. Celtics NBA Odds
Looking for LA Clippers vs. Boston Celtics free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Clippers taking on the Celtics on Thursday, December 29th, 2022 at TD Garden. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Clippers-Celtics matchup.
2022 NBA Handicapping
(21-15) LA Clippers vs. Boston Celtics (25-10)
Date: Thursday, December 29th
Time: 7:30 PM EST
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
NBA Moneyline Odds: Clippers +200 | Celtics -250 (Bet Now!)
NBA Betting Odds: Celtics -6
NBA Betting Total: 227.5
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Thursday, December 29th, the LA Clippers and Boston Celtics play for the second and final time this season. In the initial meeting on December 12th, the Clippers handed the Celtics their worst loss (113-93) of the season.
Both teams last played Tuesday with the Celtics defeating the Rockets 126-102 while the Clippers beat the Raptors 124-113.
Last season, the squads played twice with the Clippers taking both contests. The Celtics hold the all-time record having bested the Clippers in 91 of their 137 matches.
*Editor’s Note: Statistics and rankings are current as of this writing, Wednesday evening, December 28th. Numbers may vary slightly entering games on Thursday, December 29th.
LA Clippers
Kawhi Leonard remains unbeaten versus his former Raptors squad, electing to sit in Detroit (which almost cost LA the game) so he could play in Toronto.
Granted, his former coach seems to relish playing him too, as he crafts defensive schemes to hold him in check. As for who won the chess match it’s a bit of 50-50 here since Leonard shot well but his shots were limited.
He finished with 15 points on 5 of 12 while all five starters reached double-digit scoring plus Norman Powell.
Ivica Zubac served up a reminder of why the Raptors need a true center as he delivered a whopping double-double of 23 points and 16 rebounds (his 10 offensive rebounds equaled the Raptors’ team total).
It’s two ends of the spectrum through 36 games for the Clippers. Offensively they struggle averaging 109.2 points per game which ranks 29th while they shoot 46.4% from the field and 37.2% from deep ranking 20th and 8th respectively.
In contrast, defensively, the Clippers are impressive ranking in the top five in all three major categories. LA allows the third-fewest points per game at 108.6 also ranking third for opponent field goal shooting at 45.4% and 34.1% from the perimeter ranking fourth.
Brandon Boston Jr., Moussa Diabate, and Jason Preston are on G League assignment.
Boston Celtics
In his 33 games, this season Jayson Tatum is averaging 31.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
Tatum attempts 21.4 field goals connecting at 47.7%, 9.3 perimeter shots with a 35.7% success rate, and gets to the line 8.5 times per game shooting 86.7%.
The Celtics’ stats wavered a bit with their recent struggles but not enough to be overly concerning.
They’ve reclaimed the best point production average with 118.9 points per game. In terms of efficiency, they shoot 47.9% from the field and 37.8% from the perimeter ranking ninth and sixth respectively.
Slowly but surely, the Celtics’ defensive stats are improving as well. Opponents average 112.1 points per game which rank 13th. Celtics opponents are limited to 46.7 percent from the field and 35.1% from the perimeter which ranks 13th and eighth overall.
JD Davison and Mfiondu Kabengele are on G League assignment. Danilo Gallinari (ACL repair) is out indefinitely.
NBA Betting Trends:
- The Clippers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games.
- The Celtics are 12-6 SU in their last 18 games.
- The Clippers are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games against Boston
- The Celtics are 13-4 SU in their last 17 games at home.
Free LA Clippers vs. Boston Celtics NBA Prediction:
It’s not hard to envision the Clippers coming out of the West if (and that’s a BIG IF) their two stars are healthy. LA has one of the deepest rosters, a coaching savant in Ty Lue, and Leonard has shown glimpses of his playoff MVP prowess.
Their opponent is an equally deep squad with a younger superstar (and co-star) who is more of an ironman than Leonard although the latter has the experience advantage having led two different franchises to titles.
Coaching is the other Clippers’ advantage. Joe Mazzulla doesn’t have the experience or resume, albeit that doesn’t mean he won’t rise to the challenge like Steve Kerr and Nick Nurse did in their first seasons.
That said, Lue just outcoached Nurse in Toronto in their recent win, so in spite of Boston wanting revenge for the earlier thrashing by LA I’m taking the Clippers and the points.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Clippers +6
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