The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA and have vaulted into the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Their 13-game winning streak was snapped last time out by the Rockets but Portland will aim to start a new one next time out against the Boston Celtics.
Boston is in second place in the Eastern Conference and will more than likely finish there but it is hoping to excel down the stretch to head into the playoffs with momentum. The Celtics are on the road and could be slight underdogs but this could be a competitive matchup between two of the NBA’s best teams.
The Blazers could really use the win to stay ahead of the rest the pack in the West in NBA basketball betting lines.
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Odds Analysis
The Celtics are 48-23 straight up and 43-26-2 against the spread on the season. Boston has done a great job on the road this season, covering in 24 of 34 attempts. The Celtics have been great as the underdog, covering in 14 of 17 attempts.
The Trail Blazers are 44-27 straight up and 40-26-5 straight up. Portland has gone 20-13-4 against the spread as the home team this season. The Blazers are 25-17-3 against the spread as the favorite.
Injury Report
The Celtics continue to be without star point guard Kyrie Irving, who is dealing with a left knee injury. He may get a second opinion on the ailment, which isn’t he best news for a quick return. If Irving is shelved for a significant amount of time, the Celtics could be in a perilous spot.
Irving is averaging 24.4 points, 5.1 assists and 3.8 steals per game. He is shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from three-point range. Irving hasn’t played since March 11 and is expected to miss the team’s entire four-game road trip.
Boston is also without Jaylen Brown, who has missed the past five games with a concussion. He is averaging 14.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and nearly one steal per contest. He could be back soon but it’s unknown if he will be available for this matchup.
Player To Watch
Damian Lillard -- The Blazers’ guard has taken a big step forward and has turned into one of the best players in the entire NBA. He was the catalyst behind the team’s recent 13-game winning streak and is averaging 26.6 points, 6.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds per contest.
Lillard is shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from three-point range. He hit only 5-of-17 from the field last time out in a loss to the Rockets. This is a game that could come down to the wire and Lillard will need to be efficient in order to help the Blazers come away with the victory.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Boston is a solid team, but the possible absences of Irving and Brown as well as the road game will make it tough in this one. Look for Lillard to play well even against a solid Celtics defense. The Blazers are the choice to win this game in NBA basketball odds.
The spread will be interesting as Portland should be the favorite but it’s unknown by how many points. The Blazers could be the choice to cover as long as the oddsmakers don’t make them too large of favorites in NBA basketball spreads.
NBA Odds: Blazers 104, Celtics 98
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