Celtics vs. Clippers Prediction: Betting Odds, Line & Pick

Lou Williams of the Clippers

Getty Lou Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Clippers scores a basket against Steven Adams #12 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of a basketball game at Staples Center on October 19, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

Two of the hottest teams in the NBA collide when the Boston Celtics visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. The Celtics have won three straight games while the Clippers have won their last four and seven of their last nine.

Monday, March 11 at 10:30 PM ET

STAPLES Center

Coverage: NBATV

*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by BetOnline

  • Boston Celtics (-2 at -110) vs. Los Angeles Clippers
  • Over/Under: 227.5 at -110

Recent Takeaways

Kyrie Irving finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris added 16 points apiece to lead the Celtics to a 120-107 win against the Lakers last Saturday.

The Celtics shot 51.6 percent (48-for-93) from the field and made 14 3-pointers while limiting the Lakers to just 5-for-27 (18.5 percent) from beyond the arc, including 1-for-5 by LeBron James. The Celtics are now 3-0 in their current California road trip and as of Sunday afternoon, they’re just 1.5 games behind the Pacers for third place in the Eastern Conference.

Lou Williams scored 40 points off the bench, 19 in the second quarter, to help the Clippers beat the Thunder 118-110 last Friday. Danilo Gallinari also played well, contributing with 34 points (15 in the first quarter) and Patrick Beverley missed the three shots he took and didn’t score but his defense on Paul George was vital, as he held PG-13 well under his 28.6 average.

George finished with just 15 points and he scored just seven points on 3-for-10 from the field in 44 possessions when guarded by Beverley.


X-Factor

Montrezl Harrell led the Clippers with 21 points and six rebounds off the bench in a 123-112 win against the Celtics in the first meeting between these two teams this season on February 9 but he scored just eight points with six rebounds in 25 minutes against the Thunder. The Clippers need Harrell to have a big game on Monday.


Celtics vs. Clippers Trends and Prediction

The Over is:

  • 5-1-1 in Los Angeles’ last seven home games
  • 8-2 in Los Angeles’ last 10 Monday games
  • 7-2 in Los Angeles’ last nine home games against a team with a winning road record
  • 8-3 in Los Angeles’ last 11 games against Atlantic Division opponents
  • 3-0-1 in the last four meetings

The Clippers went on a 10-3 run to end the game against the Thunder, making all six of their final free-throws but they were just 9-for-16 from the charity stripe in the fourth and 31-for-46 (67.4 percent) in the game. The Clippers rallied from 28 down in the first half to beat the Celtics 123-112 in their last meeting but they won’t beat them again unless they make their free-throws.

Patrick Beverley has to step up on offense and contain Kyrie Irving. Beverley scored 12 points, including two key 3-pointers in the first meeting and he helped make Irving score just 14 points in 14 minutes last time out. This game can be a shootout, both teams are playing their best basketball of the season and even though this might be a high-total, there’s too much firepower on these rosters.

Pick: Over 227.5

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