Blake Griffin looked better on the court in his second game back from his knee injury, but the Los Angeles Clippers were destroyed in that game by Golden State. They’ll get to head to the opposite coast on Sunday to take on a red hot Boston Celtics team who have topped Toronto for the second spot in the Eastern Conference and are now on the hunt for a struggling Cleveland team that sits just a few games up in the standings.
This war on the floor will go down Sunday, February 5, 2017, at 2 p.m. ET at the TD Garden. The game will be televised live on ABC.
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Odds Analysis
As of Wednesday, both the Clippers and the Celtics boast identical records at 30-18 with Los Angeles sitting with the fourth seed in the Western Conference, but Boston ranking second in the East.
To get here, the Celtics have won four in a row, covering the spread in three of those games and save for a brief three game skid prior to those last four wins, they’ve been playing great basketball for a month and a half now, going 17-6 in their last 23 games. They’re 14-8-1 ATS in that stretch.
The Clippers, on the other hand, have been a bit streakier of late. Losses of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul have caused the team to change things up and the squad has taken some time to adjust.
While Griffin is back, they’ve still not adjusted to life without Paul. They’ve lost four of their last five games both SU and ATS though the one exception was against a quality team in the east in the Atlanta Hawks.
Injury Report
Both Los Angeles and Boston are weakened at the guard position at the moment, though the injury to the Clippers’ backcourt seems to have had a much more profound impact on the recent wins and losses than the Celtics’ loss.
For the Clippers, they’re still trying to figure out how to win without Chris Paul.
Paul was the catalyst for this team in Griffin’s absence, but with a torn ligament in his thumb, he’s out for a while. There’s no coincidence that the team’s cold spell started the first day Paul missed with his injury.
Griffin is back and has improved in his second game back after rocky return, but the backcourt remains a question. J.J. Redick had been a hot hand for a while, but he’s seemingly cooled off, too. Perhaps the added pressure on him with Paul out has had an adverse effect.
Austin Rivers, on the other side, has seemingly stepped up his game with two 20-point performances in the last three games while averaging 11.8 PPG this season. He’s also seen a few more assists as he’s asked to handle the ball more without Paul.
For Boston, the lost player is Avery Bradley. He’s now missed 11 of the team’s last 12 games with an Achilles injury.
Boston’s rebounded from Bradley’s absence, however. The team’s three straight losses came immediately after he re-injured himself, but they’re now back to winning.
Of course in Boston, the guard position is still secured with Isaiah Thomas leading the way.
Scheduling Situation
A tough stretch of road games continues for the Clippers on Sunday as they jump back on the road after a one-game hiatus at home against the Warriors.
Of course playing Golden State, regardless of venue, is never a picnic. Still, that is the only home game in a ten game stretch. Sunday’s action will be game number seven.
Fortunately, the Clippers will at least have a few days off after the Warriors visit to the City of Angels. That’ll give them adequate time to fly across country. Los Angeles is 4-3 SU and 3-4 ATS with more than a day’s rest.
On the other side, Boston will have the standard one day rest, but they’ll also be staying at home switching out one Los Angeles team for another. While the Clippers have been in the midst of a long road trip, this will mark Boston’s fourth straight home game and their ninth home game in their last 11 overall.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Defensive inefficiencies aside, the Celtics are getting it done. Thomas is playing amazing basketball right now and has elevated himself to be listed amongst the best players in the sport while putting his team on his shoulders in Bradley’s absence.
Los Angeles should win the battle inside in this game with Griffin getting back to form and DeAndre Jordan as one of the NBA’s best rebounders. He’s also a very good shooter down low.
Al Horford and Jae Crowder are solid players, but neither can match Jordan on the boards nor can you expect them to offer the same amount of production inside. As a result, the Celtics will once again need to count on Thomas to lead the charge and they’ll need to out shoot Los Angeles and win the battle on the fast break points.
Given how well Boston is playing right now and the struggles of the Clippers, look for the Celtics to win at home over Los Angeles in a high scoring shootout.
NBA Odds: Boston 113, Clippers 106
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