The Boston Celtics (36-25) will have a tough time extending their 11-game home winning streak in a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers (33-28), who are on a six-game road winning streak. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 2 and can be seen on CNE and CNW.
The Celtics enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Jazz 100-95 on Monday. Jae Crowder was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting. The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-85 win against the Knicks on Tuesday. Damian Lillard was the game’s top scorer, registering 30 points on 8-for-18 shooting.
Over the last five games, Crowder has taken his game to another level for the Celtics, averaging 19.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.4 steals, and 2.0 three-pointers. Lillard has been hot for the Trail Blazers. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 30.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.8 three-pointers.
The Celtics come into this game 35-25 Straight Up (SU) and 32-26-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (8-2). Boston is one of the most disciplined teams in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.80. Boston is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.8 points per game.
As for their opponent, the Trail Blazers have 33-28 SU and 35-26 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, Portland is 33-28 SU and 35-26 ATS. Offensively, the Trail Blazers have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 103.6 points per game by averaging 113.1 during that stretch. The Trail Blazers average 102.0 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 109.5 points per game during that span.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these two. Their previous game was a Celtics victory, bumping their SU record to 6-4 over the Trail Blazers in their last 10 meetings. The Celtics also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bos
Notes
Portland ranks eighth in points per game with 103.6, while Boston ranks 13th in points allowed with an average of 101.8 given up.
Portland and Boston are well matched, ranking 14th in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Portland puts up an average of 100.3 points on the road, while Boston allows 100.4 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Celtics are 26-3 on the season. When the Trail Blazers score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 4-16.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Celtics are just 10-22 this season. Portland is a solid 29-12 when it hits the century mark.
The Trail Blazers have a defensive rating of 104.8 (ranked 19th). The Celtics rank 13th for their offensive rating of 103.9.
Boston averages 102.0 possessions per game, scoring 1.039 points on each possession. While Portland averages fewer possessions per game with 97.9, the team scores more points per possession with 1.059.
Portland has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.0% (ranked eighth in the league}. Boston is an abysmal 4-16 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Boston makes an average of 24.8 assists per game (ranked fifth), while Portland makes 21.3 assists per game (ranked 19th).
The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 45.9 rebounds per game (ranked fifth). The Boston Celtics rank seventh, rebounding 44.9 times each contest.
Boston ranks in the top half of the NBA in defensive rebounding at 15th, while Portland ranks near the top of the league (third) in offensive rebounding.
Boston is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.9% (ranked third). Portland has a losing record of 5-14 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.9% or greater.
