Blake Daniels, December 12, 2022

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The Boston Celtics continue their road trip with a visit to the LA Clippers on Monday night at the Crypto.com Arena.

At 21-6 SU this season, the Celtics have the best record in the NBA. Boston is 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played but are coming off a double-digit loss to the Warriors in Golden State in a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals. The Celtics are the highest-scoring team in the entire NBA this season at 120.7 points per game.

Meanwhile, the LA Clippers are 7th in the Western Conference team standings with their 15-13 SU record. The Clippers head to this matchup with a 4-6 SU record in their last 10 games played. LA defeated the Washington Wizards to finish their four-game road trip with a split.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics are off to a strong start after narrowly missing out on winning the 2022 NBA Finals. Boston currently has the best record in the NBA at 21-6 SU and they are also an impressive 17-10 ATS this season. They are however coming off a rare poor shooting performance in a 123-107 loss in Golden State the last time out.

Jayson Tatum is 4th in the NBA in scoring but finished with just 18 points on a 6-21 shooting against the Warriors. Boston’s bench also combined for only 28 points while shooting 9-33 from the field. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics in the losing effort with 31 points and 9 rebounds.

For the season, the Celtics rank first in scoring at 120.7 points per game this season. They are also 4th in overall field goal percentage and are the top three-point shooting team in the league this season. The Celtics were hoping to get Al Horford back on Monday but the team ruled him out for this contest.

LA Clippers

While the Celtics continue to hit the road, the Clippers head home after going 2-2 SU on a four-game road swing. Los Angeles lost back-to-back games in Florida to the Magic and Heat but closed out with a 114-107 win over the Washington Wizards. Paul George led the Clippers with 36 points while John Wall scored 13 points in his return to Washington.

The Clippers have struggled as Kawhi Leonard continues his long recovery from injury. With Kawhi still looking to get back his old form, George has led the team in scoring at 23.6 points per game. John Wall is averaging 12.6 points and a team-high 5.6 assists per game for the Clippers and Ivica Zubac is scoring 10.6 points per game on 62.6% FG shooting.

LA ranks 6th overall in rebounding with 43.8 boards grabbed per contest. The Clippers are 4th in defensive field goal percentage but they are dead-last in the league in scoring at only 107.7 points per game this season. Norman Powell is still out with a groin injury but Reggie Jackson who missed their last game due to rest should be back in action.

Boston Celtics vs LA Clippers SU Prediction

The Celtics are 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played against the Clippers. Boston is also 1-3 SU in their last 4 games played in Los Angeles.

Boston Celtics SU trends:

• The Celtics are 17-3 SU in their last 20 games played.
• The Celtics are 10-4 SU in their last 14 games played on the road.
• The Celtics are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games played against the Western Conference.
• The Celtics are 4-1 SU in their last 5 Monday games.
• The Celtics are 3-1 SU in their last 4 road games against the Western Conference.

LA Clippers SU trends:

• The Clippers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games played.
• The Clippers are 7-6 SU in their last 13 games played at home.
• The Clippers are 3-1 SU in their last 4 home games against the Eastern Conference.
• The Clippers are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The Clippers are 4-9 SU in their last 13 December games.

The Celtics’ high-powered offense was sputtering against the Golden State Warriors in their last outing. Boston shot just 43.7% from the field and was held to 13 points below their season scoring average by the 14-13 SU Golden State Warriors in Oakland However, it would be foolish to hope that they will struggle in two consecutive games.

Jayson Tatum shot just 6-21 from the floor against the Dubs and finished with 18 points. He is 4th in the league in scoring this season at 30+ points per game scored. I expect Tatum to bounce back from a subpar effort the last time out.

Boston has not lost back-to-back games since their second and third games of the current season. The Celtics have won 8 out of their last 10 games played and beat the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, and Phoenix Suns in the first three games of their current road trip before losing to Golden State in their last game.

The Clippers have been a very good defensive team this season and they are also a strong rebounding team. However, the Celtics simply have too many good scorers here and the Clippers will be left with no choice but to try and keep up with Boston’s scoring onslaught. Ultimately, however, the Celtics will outpoint the Clippers and win this game to get back on the winning side.

Prediction: Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics vs LA Clippers ATS Prediction

The Celtics are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games played against the Clippers. Boston is also 2-2 ATS in their last four games played in Los Angeles.

Boston Celtics ATS trends:

• The Celtics are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
• The Celtics are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 road games.
• The Celtics are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The Celtics are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Celtics are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight-up loss of more than 10 points.
• The Celtics are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Celtics are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games versus a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The Celtics are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Celtics are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games following a straight-up loss.
• The Celtics are 21-8 ATS in their last 29 games following an ATS loss.
• The Celtics are 37-17-1 ATS in their last 55 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Celtics are 36-17-1 ATS in their last 54 road games against a team with a winning home record.
• The Celtics are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 Monday games.

LA Clippers ATS trends:

• The Clippers are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games played.
• The Clippers are 5-8 ATS in 13 home games played this season.
• The Clippers are 4-4 ATS in their last 8 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The Clippers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games played against the Atlantic Division.
• The Clippers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Monday games.
• The Clippers are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games vs. a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The Clippers are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
• The Clippers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
• The Clippers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.

The Celtics are the third-best ATS team in the NBA this season with an ATS record of 17-10 ATS on the year or a 63.0% cover rate. Boston has an average margin of victory of 7.9 points although their ATS plus/minus is just 2.9 points.

On the road, the Celtics are 8-6 ATS or a 57% cover rate. Boston’s average margin of victory on the road is 4.9 points per game through their plus/minus is just +1.7 points. Head to head in their last 10 games played, the ATS is a split 5-5 between these two teams.

Boston has been the best team in the NBA so far this season. The Clippers have shown flashes of brilliance but have not been as consistent this year.

Prediction: Celtics -4

Boston Celtics vs LA Clippers Over/Under

The over is 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings between these two teams. The total has gone over in four out of their last 6 meetings in Los Angeles.

Boston Celtics over/under trends:

• The under is 4-0 in the Celtics’ last 4 overall.
• The under is 12-3-1 in the Celtics’ last 16 road games.
• The under is 4-0 in the Celtics’ last 4 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 4-0 in the Celtics’ last 4 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 4-0 in the Celtics’ last 4 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-0 in the Celtics’ last 4 games following a straight-up loss of more than 10 points.
• The under is 7-0 in the Celtics’ last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
• The over is 6-1-1 in the Celtics’ last 8 games against a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The under is 6-2 in the Celtics’ last 8 Monday games.

LA Clippers over/under trends:

• Over is 4-0 in the Clippers’ last 4 overall.
• The over is 4-0 in the Clippers’ last 4 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 5-0 in the Clippers’ last 5 games following an ATS win.
• The over is 4-0 in the Clippers’ last 4 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 5-0 in the Clippers’ last 5 games following a straight-up win.
• The over is 4-0 in the Clippers’ last 4 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The over is 10-1 in the Clippers’ last 11 Monday games.
• The over is 6-1-1 in the Clippers’ last 8 games against a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The over is 5-1 in the Clippers’ last 6 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 5-1 in the Clippers’ last 6 games against a team with a winning % above .600.
• The under is 16-5-1 in the Clippers’ last 22 home games.
• The under is 5-2-1 in the Clippers’ last 8 home games versus a team with a winning road record.
• The under is 19-8 in the Clippers’ last 27 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.

The Celtics have the NBA’s most dynamic offense and are led by the high-scoring duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston is averaging 120.7 points per game this season, which is no. 1 in the entire NBA this season.

The Clippers are the league’s lowest-scoring team at 107.7 points per game this season. However, they have scored at least 110 points seven times in their last 8 games, including 114+ points in half of those games. To keep up with the Celtics, the Clippers need to be able to light up the scoreboard, which they can, given the scorers they have.

These teams have combined to score an average of 229.9 points per game in their last 10 head-to-head meeting. This one should be another high-scoring affair.

Prediction: Over 226.5