Earlier this month, the Boston Celtics took care of business commandingly when the Portland Trail Blazers paid them a visit at the TD Garden. Now, it’s the Celtics’ turn to play as the road team and they’ll try to come away with the victory again and sweep their regular-season series with Portland. But the Trail Blazers, who have won their last five games at home, are surely not going to make it easy.
Let’s take a closer look at this matchup below. And while you’re at it, check out our other previews: Brooklyn vs. Cleveland and Chicago vs. Houston.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Boston Celtics vs. Portland Trailblazers Betting Preview
Where: Moda Center at the Rose Quarter, Portland, Oregon
When: Thursday, March 31, 2016, 10:00 PM ET
Line: Boston Celtics (+3) vs. Portland Trailblazers (-3); total: 214.0 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: CSNE, CSNW
Betting on the Boston Celtics (43-21)
[sc:NBA250 ]Boston saw its four-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the Clippers on Monday night, 114-90. In that game, the Celtics struggled to find the bottom of the basket, shooting just 34.8 percent as a team. But Isaiah Thomas’ efforts were worth noting, as he did his best to keep things close by scoring a game-high of 24 points.
Thomas will hope to end up on the winning side this time around, when he tries to help the Celtics bounce back at the expense of the Portland Trail Blazers tonight. The All-Star point guard should be able to find of a lot of openings opposite a leaky Trail Blazers defense (103.9 points allowed per game). And also, Thomas erupted for 30 points to go along with four rebounds and two dimes in their first regular-season meeting with Portland.
Besides him, look to Avery Bradley to carry some of the offensive load in this game. Bradley is the second-leading scorer in the team with 15.1 points per game and has also been able to score in double-digits in his previous five games. That stretch includes back-to-back 20-point performances versus the 76ers and Magic.
Meanwhile, Jae Crowder, who’s missed the last seven games due to a sprained ankle, could make his return tonight. And if he does, the Celtics’ will have another reliable option to put their trust one. Crowder is averaging 14.4 points and 5.1 rebounds this season.
Boston is 3-7 SU and 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games on the road.
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Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers (39-36)
Portland walks into this game having won four of its last six contests and as winners of back-to-back games opposite Sacramento and Philadelphia. In that short stretch, the pair of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum has been playing solid basketball, averaging 35.0 points combined. But these two might have their work cut out for them against the Boston Celtics tonight.
Both Lillard and McCollum have considerablystruggled in this matchup, averaging just 15.0 and 12.3 points throughout their respective careers. And if they continue this slump, the pressure is on Allen Crabbe and Al-Farouq Aminu to pick up the slack on offense.
Crabbe is the team’s third-leading scorer with 10.3 points per game. He’s also coming off a 21-point performance in the win over the Kings Monday night. Aminu, on the other hand, has been slightly better, as he’s put up a total of 34 points on 50.0 percent shooting in his past two games.
Defensively, the Trail Blazers will continue to rely on Ed Davis. Davis, in particular, has done a solid job in protecting the paint and grabbing some much-needed rebounds. The former Laker center is posting 6.6 points with 7.4 boards per contest and has also accumulated eight blocks in the last five outings.
Portland is 5-5 ATS in its last 10 games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
Trail Blazers (-2) win it by single-digits.
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