NBA Odds and Choices
The NBA season rolls on Thursday night with a five-game roster marked by two intriguing national TV clashes: Miami Heat vs. Houston Rockets (7:30 pm Eastern time) and Philadelphia 76ers against Portland Trail Blazers (hourly from the east).
Our NBA analysts are betting spreads on two other games on today’s list. You can find their reviews and choices about these games below.
Raptors vs. Celtics
Raheem Palmer: The Toronto Raptors finally showed up to do their best this season, winning five of their last six games, including two against the Grizzlies and the Wizards. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for the Boston Celtics, who lost two consecutive matches, including five of the last seven.
When you go deeper, you realize that these teams don’t have exactly the same agendas. The Celtics played against some of the top teams in the league (Spurs, Lakers, Suns and Jazz), while the Raptors defeated weaker teams (Grizzlies, Wizards and Magic). Even so, it is revealing that the Celtics have 3.5 favorite points in this match, given the way the two teams have been playing.
I agree with the market here, as this confrontation has historically been bad for the Raptors due to the length of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the wings against Toronto’s combination of small guards. While Marcus Smart is out for this confrontation, I think this is a good place for the Celtics against a team of Raptors who are in their last game of a six-game trip.
With the Raptors playing in Washington last night and Memphis on Monday night, the Celtics have a rest advantage against a team that is the number they have. Unfortunately for Raptors fans, I’m not seeing any revenge for their defeat in the Eastern Conference semifinals in the bubble. I will play against the Celtics here.
Pacers vs. Pistons
Brandon Anderson: The Pacers have lost nine of their last 13 games, with six of those defeats by at least eight points. Indiana lost four consecutive games – the most recent defeat happened last night against the Nets (without Kevin Durant), who doubled the score in the first half.
The Pacers remain shorthanded with TJ Warren and Caris LeVert out, and now they are playing the second night in a row. So there are many reasons to be careful here.
Now, let me present my counter-argument: they are playing against the Detroit Pistons.
At 6-18, the Pistons have the lowest number of wins in the NBA. They are probably not as bad as their record looks – they tend to stay for a while before collapsing late when opponents show up – but the Pistons are definitely not good. The Pistons are young and inexperienced and have just dealt with one of their few positive players in Derrick Rose.
Here are the opponents for the nine Pacers defeats in this recent stretch: Clippers, Mavericks, Raptors, Hornets, 76ers, Bucks, Pelicans, Jazz and Nets. It is not exactly embarrassing. The only two bad losses on the list are the Hornets and the Pels, and both went by bucket.
The Pacers have played seven games this season against teams outside the game limit in each conference. They are 6-1 in those games, comfortably winning in four of them.
The Pacers are better than the 4-9 team they have been for the past few weeks, and the Pistons are the perfect opponent to achieve a victory and get back on track. It probably won’t be easy, but I will rely on Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner to win a late victory if things are tough.
I would play Indiana for -3.5.