The Boston Celtics are now a couple of games behind the top seed in the Eastern Conference and are tied in the loss column with the 3-seed 76ers. They need this game to secure the 2-seed for themselves. The Portland Trail Blazers are standing alone as the 13th seed in the Western Conference and seem to have lost any playoff hope this season.
These two teams played just a little over a week ago. The Celtics took the matchup by 22 points. They’re the better team in this matchup. However, Jayson Tatum is questionable to play tonight. Fortunately, Jaylen Brown is available.
Damian Lillard is probable to play for the Trail Blazers tonight, and, honestly, amidst their four-game losing streak, they need him to play.
Because of the Celtics’ depth, Jaylen Brown and company should be enough to take care of business tonight, as long as they limit the impact from Lillard, which hasn’t been an easy task this season and shut down Anfernee Simons. If they can limit either of those players, they should be able to come away with the win. The Trail Blazers are on a losing streak that’s sending them on their way to the best lottery odds they can get, whereas the Celtics are bolstering their playoff resume for this season.
As 4.5-point favorites, the Celtics should be able to come home with this game while covering.
Jaylen Brown over 27.5 points (-115) Bet $100 to collect $186. DraftKings has the best odds right now
At first, I thought this prop was a little bit too steep. However, Brown, in tandem with Jayson Tatum, brings one of the best duos the league has right now. Whether or not Tatum plays in this game won’t impact this prop covering too badly. If he does play, Brown has shown he can put together big numbers at the same time as Tatum. If Tatum doesn’t play, Brown will be in a position to be the top option on the squad, allowing him to take a slight bump in shot volume. He’s covered this prop in five of his last seven games and is averaging 28.1 points per game in March. Brown playing efficiently while having a big night could be key to the Celtics leaving the game with a big win.
Damian Lillard over 33.5 points (-115) Bet $100 to collect $186. DraftKings has the best odds right now
Being a Trail Blazers fan must be confusing this season. At one point, they were the fourth seed in the Western Conference, and now they’re the 13th-seeded team in the conference. In the midst of that, they’re witnessing the best season of Lillard’s career. He’s built onto this impressive season this month, though they continue to slip away from a potential Play-In appearance. He’s averaging 33.3 points per game on the month and is coming off a 38-point performance. His shot volume is incredible, too. If he shoots more than 25 shots tonight, he’s going to cover this prop. And that’s something we’ve seen plenty of this month.
Al Horford over 1.5 3-pointers (-160) Bet $100 to collect $162. DraftKings has the best odds right now
Please only refer to Horford as “Big Shot Al.” He’s seemingly knocking down huge shots at key points of the game to either swing momentum or seal their lead late in the game. Having covered him in his time with the Thunder, I grew to appreciate his timely shot-making and potential to get hot from beyond the arc. He’s covered this prop in six of his seven games played in March and has made 3.3 3-pointers per game on the month on 5.6 attempts per game. That’s good for 59% of his attempts going down, which is elite. If he slightly follows that trend, he’s going to cover tonight easily.
