Boston has been the better team this season as it has settled into the No. 2 seed in the East. The Clippers, though, are at home and have finally gotten their star players back on the court after a couple key injuries.
This is shaping up to be a competitive clash with both sides feeling as if they can come away with a hard-fought victory.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California
at 10:30 p.m. ET on Monday, March 6, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds available for this and every game on the NBA Monday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Clippers are 36-24 straight up and 30-30 against the spread. They have played in 29 home game this season and covered in 15 of them. Los Angeles has gone 19-21 against the spread as the favorite and 10-9 as the underdog on the season.
The Celtics are 39-22 straight up and 32-28-1 against the spread. They have been much better covering on the road, going 20-10-1 against the spread in their 31 road matchups. Boston has covered in 23 of 43 games as the favorite and has gone 9-8-1 against the spread as the underdog.
Matchup to Watch
Chris Paul vs Isaiah Thomas. Two of the league’s top point guards will go head-to-head in this matchup on Monday. Paul is putting up 17.4 points per game and leads the team with 9.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
Thomas is averaging a team-high 29.6 points and 6.2 assists per game for Boston right now. The 28-year-old finished with 28 points and eight assists in Boston’s 107-102 win over the Clippers on February 5th.
The Clippers were without Paul in that first matchup as it was during a stretch in which he missed 14 games with a thumb injury last month. Now that the team is full strength, this game at the Staples Center will be an even more entertaining showcase of talent in two proven difference-makers.
Paul is a good defender, but it will be a handful keeping up with Thomas.
Key Stat
Three. That’s how many games Boston trails the Cleveland Cavaliers by in the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics are still very much in play for the No. 1 seed this year.
Of course, catching the Cavaliers is no easy task with LeBron James leading the way, but Cleveland is playing without Kevin Love right now so it’s a great time for the Celtics to try and make up some ground. Boston must win its remaining toss-up games like this one against the Clippers to have as shot at the No. 1 spot.
The Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 103-99 on Wednesday behind 31 points from Thomas. It was a welcomed victory after an up-and-down last few games where Boston went 2-3.
Free NBA ATS Pick
This is an interesting game to peg. The Celtics have been slightly better on the season but also had the benefit of health compared to injuries to Paul and Blake Griffin for the Clippers.
Boston has some good talent and depth and it wouldn’t be a surprise if it kept this game close. However, the home court advantage could be the difference in this one. Unless Thomas can have a monster game from the outside, it seems like the Clippers should have enough to scrape out a win.
Check the spread when it is released because too many points in favor of Los Angeles and it makes sense to jump on the Celtics to cover.
NBA Odds: Clippers 109, Celtics 107
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