The San Antonio Spurs continue their seven-game homestand Wednesday night, so I bring you the best betting pick for their interconference clash against the Boston Celtics along with the most important tips and trends and the latest odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Spurs have owned the Celtics over the last ten years. San Antonio is 16-4 straight up and 14-5-1 ATS in its previous 20 encounters with Boston, but the Celtics humiliated the Spurs in their previous meeting at AT&T Center in San Antonio.
The Celtics outlasted Chicago for their second straight win
The Boston Celtics (10-6; 9-7 ATS) have won their last two games, thrashing off the Cleveland Cavaliers 141-103 and beating the Chicago Bulls 119-103 in their previous outing. Jayson Tatum returned from a five-game absence because of the COVID-19 and scored 24 points in 31 minutes on the floor, while Jaylen Brown had another good game, accounting for 26 points and five rebounds.
Brown is having a wonderful season, averaging 27.3 points and 5.8 boards per game. The Celtics are finally healthy and can count on all their key players including Kemba Walker (17.0 PPG, 4.8 APG).
Boston has the eighth-best offensive rating in the NBA, tallying 113.1 points per 100 possessions. The Celtics are sixth in both field goal percentage (47.6%) and 3-point percentage (38.3), but they surrender 110.1 points per 100 possessions (16th) on 46.4% shooting from the field (19th) and need to improve on the defensive end.
The Spurs routed Washington to stop a two-game slide
The San Antonio Spurs (9-8; 10-7 ATS) opened their seven-game homestand with a 122-117 defeat to Dallas this past Friday. It was their second straight loss, and the Spurs snapped the skid with an emphatic 121-101 victory over the Washington Wizards last Sunday.
After a tight first half, the Spurs scored a whopping 73 points in the second to top the Wizards. They shot 50.0% from the field and 48.4% from beyond the arc, while seven players scored in double figures.
The Spurs score 109.9 points per 100 possessions (17th) on just 44.7% shooting from the field (23rd) and 36.5% from downtown (13th). They surrender 109.2 points in a return (10th), but the Spurs rank 21st in opponent field goal percentage (46.6%) and 25th in opponent 3-point percentage (38.2%).
Trends:
Boston:
- 6-3 ATS in the last nine games overall
San Antonio:
- 1-4 ATS in the last five games played on Wednesday
The Spurs are a well-balanced team with seven guys who average points in double digits. However, they have some defensive issues and are quite limited on the defensive end, so I’m backing the Celtics to win and cover.
Boston struggles to defend well, too, but the Celtics have more talent than San Antonio, for sure. With all their best players back in the lineup, the Celtics should have enough firepower to outlast the Spurs, especially if they catch the rhythm from beyond the arc.
Pick: Take Boston -2.5 at -110
The Total:
The total has gone over in eight of the last nine encounters between the Celtics and Spurs, and I’m looking for this trend to continue. As I’ve mentioned, both teams have serious defensive problems. They execute well offensively while playing at a steady pace around 100 possessions per 48 minutes, so we should see a high-scoring affair.
The line at 225.5 points is a tricky one, but I would be surprised if someone manages to limit the other team below 110 points. That happened just once in the last four matchups between Boston and San Antonio.
Pick: Go under 225.5 points at -110
