The Los Angeles Clippers (29-16) and their fifth-ranked offense travel to Boston (25-21) to take on the Celtics and their second-ranked defense. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and can be seen on PRI and CNE.
The Celtics enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out the Wizards 116-91 in their last matchup. Isaiah Thomas was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting. The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off a 91-89 win against the Pacers in their last game. Chris Paul was the team’s top scorer, registering 26 points on 11-for-21 shooting.
Paul has been hot for the Clippers, averaging 24.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 10.4 assists, 2.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 3.0 three-pointers over the past five games.
It will be a showdown of two heavyweights, as the prolific offense of the Clippers (fifth in the league with an offensive efficiency of 106.5) takes the court against the elite defense of the Celtics (second in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 99.3).
The Celtics have gone 31-23 Straight Up (SU) and 29-23-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 31-23 SU and 29-23-2 ATS against the Western Conference. Boston is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 19.2 points per game.
As for their opponent, the Clippers have a record of 25-25-2 ATS and 35-17 SU. Los Angeles performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-3 record. The Clippers are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking third in the NBA at 1.83.
These two will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous head-to-head meeting, Los Angeles came out on top, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 6-4. Furthermore, the Clippers hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC
Notes
“Boston is 9-1-1 SU in its last 11 games “.
“Boston is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home”.
“Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games at home”.
“Boston is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games when playing LA Clippers”.
“Boston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing LA Clippers”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Boston’s last 25 games when playing LA Clippers”.
“Boston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against LA Clippers”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Boston’s last 12 games when playing at home against LA Clippers”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 8 of LA Clippers’s last 12 games when playing on the road against Boston”.
On average, Los Angeles puts up 104.1 points per game (ranked seventh). Boston ranks 12th in points allowed per game with 100.9.
Boston ranks 13th in points allowed per home game (99.5 PPG), while Los Angeles ranks eighth in points per away game with 102.8.
In its last game, Los Angeles won by a margin of two points. Boston is 1-5 in games decided by three points or less. Los Angeles has a 5-2 record in close games.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Los Angeles Clippers are an outstanding 19-2. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Boston Celtics have a poor record of 4-10.
Los Angeles is 10-14 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Celtics have a solid 21-11 record when hitting triple digits.
The Celtics have a defensive rating of 99.3, second-best in the NBA. The Clippers also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 106.5 (ranked fifth).
The Los Angeles Clippers have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking fifth in the league with a FG% of 46.2%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Boston Celtics have an underachieving 2-10 record.
The Boston Celtics average 27.0 three point attempts per game and are 16-17 when attempting at least 25 in a game. The Los Angeles Clippers average 25.0 attempts and have a winning record (14-9) when attempting 25 or more.
Los Angeles ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.83 (ranked third). Boston is ranked sixth, with an A/TO of 1.71 this season.
The Boston Celtics rebound 45.0 times per game and are ranked eighth. Ranked 25th, the Los Angeles Clippers rebound 42.2 times per game.
The Los Angeles Clippers rank 26th in offensive rebounding, while the Boston Celtics rank 16th in defensive rebounding.
Boston ranks fifth in forced turnovers with an average rate of 16.1%. Los Angeles has a 3-2 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
