NBA Betting: Celtics, Clippers in the Spotlight
The Boston Celtics will play their third game in four days on Friday as they get the weekend started on the road against the Atlanta Hawks.
Boston saw their four-game winning streak come to an end on Tuesday night when they fell to the Toronto Raptors 114-106 as a 5.5-point road underdog. They rebounded the following night with a 117-108 win over the Washington Wizards as a 5.5-point home favorite. Both went OVER the posted total, making it 12 straight OVER results for Boston.
Atlanta heads into Friday night having won seven in a row straight up and six straight against the spread. On Tuesday they took care of the Brooklyn Nets 117-97 as an 8.5-point road favorite.
This is the first meeting of the season between Boston and Atlanta, which makes it their first matchup since they clashed in the playoffs. They faced off in the opening round last season and the Hawks won the series 4-2 while going 3-3 ATS. Including last year’s playoffs the Hawks are 7-2 SU and 6-3 ATS in their last nine games versus Boston.
After facing the Celtics on Friday the Hawks return to the court on Sunday at home versus the Milwaukee Bucks. Atlanta has won their last three versus the Bucks both SU and ATS and in their last 10 home games against them they are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS.
In between those games the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers renew acquaintances on Saturday.
The Los Angeles rivals last met on Christmas when the Lakers pulled off an unexpected upset. The Lakers were an 8-point underdog in the game and posted a 111-102 win.
That loss snapped the Clippers' 11-game winning streak versus the Lakers, during which they were 6-5 ATS. The total went UNDER, making it eight straight UNDER results when the Lakers and Clippers clash.
The Clippers defeated the Orlando Magic 105-96 as a 10-point favorite on Wednesday to post their fifth straight win. The Lakers visit the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night as a 14.5-point underdog at the Bovada sportsbook after getting crushed by the Portland Trail Blazers 108-87 as a 2-point home underdog on Tuesday night.
After facing the Lakers on Thursday night the Spurs travel to Phoenix to face the Suns on Saturday. The Spurs have dominated this matchup with a 9-0 record SU and 6-2-1 mark ATS in their last nine versus Phoenix. The Spurs will likely be a road favorite in Phoenix, but in their last seven games as road favorites they are only 4-3 SU and ATS.