10:10 pm
April 13

Celtics @ Trail Blazers

Who will WIN this matchup?

Boston Celtics (28-26)

@ Portland Trail Blazers (31-22)

 

Current odds:

Boston Celtics: (+100)

Portland Trail Blazers: (-120)

 

• The spread for the game is Portland by 1.5 points.

• Boston has won three straight and five of its past six games after recovering from a 14-point deficit with 14-plus minutes to play to notch a 105-87 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. The Celtics finished the game with a dominating 40-8 run. The stunning turnaround in the opener of a three-game road excursion also marked the third straight game in which Boston delivered a comeback victory.

• Boston’s season-long inconsistency has put it in position to where it needs a sustained hot streak to move up the Eastern Conference standings. Currently, the Celtics are battling to stay out of the play-in round. Coach Brad Stevens is well aware of the challenges and was feeling positive vibes after the late-game spurt against a Denver squad that had won eight straight contests.

• Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts bristled when a reporter said the team was in a funk after Sunday’s 107-98 home loss to the Miami Heat, but regardless, the club isn’t clicking on all cylinders. Portland’s four setbacks during the stretch are by an average of 15.8 points.

• The Trail Blazers will surely need better shooting from their stellar backcourt. All-Star guard Damian Lillard had just 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting against the Heat while CJ McCollum had 17 points on 7-of-18 shooting. Lillard’s poor outing was his second in the past four games. He suffered through 2-of-14 shooting while scoring 11 points in a 133-116 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on April 6.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Portland Trail Blazers
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