The Celtics are coming off a 32-point comeback against the Spurs. Will they have enough in themselves to pick up another win against the Blazers?
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Boston Celtics
Sunday, May 2, 2021 – 7:30pm EST at TD Garden
If you bet on the Celtics in their game against the Spurs to finish April, you have quite the finish to your month of April.Jayson Tatum led the Celtics from 32 down to win against the Spurs in overtime, where Tatum scored 60 points in the game. The Celtics are now 34-30 and will get another home game. It’s their fourth home game in a row and they’ve gone 2-1 in those games.
The Celtics are scoring 114.4 points per 100 possessions and have an effective field goal percentage of 54.5 percent. They’re turning the ball over 14.2 percent of the time and effectively rebounding the ball on the offensive end at 27.6 percent of the time.
The Celtics are obviously led by Tatum, who is now averaging 26.4 points per game this season. Tatum also has 7.5 rebounds per game and 4.4 assists per game. Jaylen Brown has chipped in with 24.8 points per game and 5.9 rebounds.
Defensively, Boston has been average, just like their offense. They’re holding opponents to 112.4 points per possession and a 54.2 percent effective field goal percentage. The Celtics will force 14.4 percent of turnovers but struggle a bit on the defensive glass, allowing over 25 percent of offensive rebounds.
They’ll take on a Portland squad that is hungry. The Blazers have now won three straight games against the Pacers, Grizzlies, and Nets all on the road. The road trip continues against Boston here.
The Blazers are scoring 118 points per 100 possessions and have an effective field goal percentage of 54. They’re really been able to limit turnovers at 11.4 percent of the season and bring down 26.6 percent of offensive rebound opportunities.
Damian Lillard has led the team in scoring with 28.3 points per game with CJ McCollum right behind him with 22.9 points per game. They addition of Norman Powell from the Raptors has been very nice as he’s added 16.8 points per game and has become the third scoring option for this team.
Enes Kanter has been the best rebounder on this team and will go up against the Celtics’ Tristian Thompson. Portland has been awful defensively, which is why they don’t have a higher win percentage. They’re allowing 117 points per 100 possessions and teams are shooting an effective field goal percentage of 55.4 percent. They’re not forcing a high amount of turnovers and have struggled rebounding on defense, being in the bottom 10 in every category I just listed.
Portland scores 115.1 points a night and allows 115.5 per game. They’re also shooting just 44.8 percent from the field and bring down 44.5 rebounds per game. Boston, on the other hand, is scoring 112.6 points per game but have shown better defense, holding opponents to 111.5 points. The Celtics are also shooting at a higher percentage from the field at 46.6 percent but don’t get to the line as often as the Blazers do.
Prediction
The line is basically a pick-em, which makes sense. The Celtics stand out just a bit more, at home and are coming off a huge confidence boosting game. However, if they fall behind by 30 or more points against the Blazers, they’re not going to be able to come back and win this game.
The Celtics might be tired after that game against the Spurs, but the good news is that they were home and stayed home for this game coming up as well. Meanwhile, the Blazers will play their fourth game on the road in a row. That’s just as tiring.
I like the Celtics to finish the Blazers, at home in this one. Every win counts for both of these teams now. The NBA is about to get more competitive as we get near the playoffs.
NBA Pick: Celtics -115 at Bet 365
