A low-scoring game should be expected when the Portland Trail Blazers (44-27) and the Boston Celtics (48-23) square off at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The game can be seen on NBATV at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, March 23, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 203 points with Portland set as a 6.5-point favorite.
Boston Celtics at Portland Trail Blazers ATS Prediction
The Celtics come in on a high note after barely hanging on to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in their last outing, 100-99. Boston’s 23.4 offensive rebounding percentage was their largest advantage over Oklahoma City, who had a mark of 16.3. The Celtics’ mark was above their season average of 21.3, while the Thunder’s was below their season average of 27.9. With 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting, Jayson Tatum was Boston’s high scorer.
In the Trail Blazers’ last matchup, they were beaten by the Houston Rockets, 115-111. Houston’s effective field goal percentage was their largest advantage over Portland. The Rockets had a rate of 0.601 (above their season average of 0.555), while the Trail Blazers posted a mark of 0.562. Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic put up 21 points and 11 rebounds in the game.
The offense of Portland will go head-to-head against the elite defense of Boston. The Trail Blazers currently rank 14th in offensive efficiency, while the Celtics are first in defensive efficiency. The Celtics should have the edge on that end of the court. Moreover, the Celtics, who rank 21st in offensive rebounding percentage (21.3 percent), will go head-to-head against the Trail Blazers, who rank fifth in defensive rebounding percentage (79.3 percent).
Boston holds records of 48-23 straight up (SU) and 42-26-3 against the spread (ATS). Just over half of the Celtics’ games have finished over the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Portland is 44-27 SU and 39-25-7 ATS. Vegas is known to set the total high when the Trail Blazers are involved, as 56.3 percent of their games have gone under the projected point total.
Both teams have had a player step their game up over their last five games. Terry Rozier (16.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists) has been great for the Celtics while Nurkic (14.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks) has made solid contributions to the Trail Blazers.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. Al Horford scored a game-high 22 points in the first game, in which the Celtics defeated the Trail Blazers 97-96, resulting in a push. He also had 10 rebounds and five assists. The game finished with a total of 193 points, which was 6.5 points below the projected point total of 199.5 points. The Celtics knocked down 12 of their 17 free throws (70.6 percent) and had a better effective field goal percentage (0.500 vs. 0.467).
Boston Celtics vs. Portland Trail Blazers Pick
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Trail Blazers, ATS Winner – Trail Blazers, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Boston is 24-10 ATS on the road with 17 unders, 16 overs and 1 push.
At home, Portland is 20-13-4 ATS with 20 unders and 17 overs.
In games where they hold opponents under 100 points, Portland is 23-5 and Boston is 31-4.
In games where they score above 100 points, the Trail Blazers are 39-14 and the Celtics are 36-10.
Portland averages 45.4 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the league. Boston ranks 20th in rebounds allowed per game (43.9).
The Celtics rank 19th in assists per game (22.4) while the Trail Blazers rank last (19.4).
Portland ranks fourth in points off turnovers allowed per game (14.9) while Boston ranks 10th (15.2).
The Celtics rank fifth in steals allowed per game (7.1) while the Trail Blazers rank 10th (7.4).
Portland ranks 23rd in points in the paint per game (42.1) while Boston ranks 28th (39.2).
The Celtics rank 25th in fast break points per game (9.7) while the Trail Blazers rank last (7.8).
Boston averages 4.7 blocks per game, which ranks 17th in the NBA. Portland ranks 21st in blocks allowed per game (5.1).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Boston is 3-2 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
Portland is 4-0-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Celtics have been outscored by an average of 2.4 points in their last five games. For the season, Boston has defeated opponents by an average of 3.9 points.
During their last five games, the Trail Blazers have scored an average of 112.2 points per game (6.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 103.0 points per game (0.2 below their season average).
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