Los Angeles Clippers at Boston Celtics Betting Preview

Wednesday night features a battle of West versus East as the Los Angeles Clippers (17-17) take on the Boston Celtics (16-18). The Celtics will host this one at the TD Garden with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
Coming into this game, the Clippers have dropped five of their last six. On Monday, they lost to the Brooklyn Nets at home 124-108.
Marcus Morris Sr. led the Clippers in scoring with 24 points while Eric Bledsoe and Keon Johnson added 15 apiece.
Boston has also been on a bit of a slide losing four of their last six. They lost on Monday 108-103 on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard combined for 50 points, 18 rebounds, and ten assists, but it still wasn’t enough for the struggling Celtics.
The Celtics are the favorites playing at home. They are -240 to win while the Clippers’ moneyline sits at +198. The spread features Los Angeles +6 (-110).
More Odds
Despite their rough start, the Celtics have the seventh-best odds of winning the Eastern Conference at +3000. The Clippers have the fifth-best odds of winning the West.
In terms of winning the NBA Championship, the Clippers have the eighth-best odds of winning it all at +2400. The Celtics are +6500 to win the championship.
By The Numbers
Boston has had the stronger team to date on the offensive side. They rank 15th in scoring, averaging 108.4 points per game. The Clippers rank 26th averaging 105.4 points.
Defensively, it is Los Angeles with the advantage. They rank fifth in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 105.3 points per game. The Celtics rank 16th allowing 107.4 points per game.
Clippers Look For Answers On The Road
Right now is not an easy time to be Tyronn Lue. The Clippers’ head coach is without his two stars in Paul George (elbow) and Kawhi Leonard (knee), and he is down another starting guard in Reggie Jackson due to COVID-19 protocols.
As a result, the Clippers are looking for answers from inexperienced guys, some of who have recently been picked up off the street.
With his stars out, the leading scorer for the Clippers currently is Marcus Morris Sr. The forward is averaging 14.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game this season.
Aside from him, other contributors include Luke Kennard (11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds), Eric Bledsoe (10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, four assists), and Terrance Mann (10.1 points, 5.3 rebounds).
Bledsoe especially is getting more playing time as he has been elevated to the starting unit in the absence of Jackson.
Celtics Not Immune To COVID Impact Either
While the Clippers have been hit hard by losses, they aren’t the only ones. The Celtics have a laundry list of players out due to COVID protocols, including Jayson Tatum and Enes Kanter.
Tatum is an especially tough loss since he is leading the team in scoring at 25.6 points per game.
With Tatum out, the Celtics will rely more on guard Jaylen Brown. This season, Brown is averaging 22.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
The Celtics have some others who are questionable for Wednesday, including Marcus Smart (10.9 points, 5.5 assists), Josh Richardson (10.7 points), and Dennis Schroder (16.3 points, 4.7 assists).
The only other player averaging double digits this season that is likely to play Wednesday is center Al Horford, who is averaging 12.4 points and 7.9 rebounds.
Take Boston To Win At Home
This one is a war of attrition as both of these teams are struggling with players missing. Still, with Jaylen Brown and Al Horford on the floor, the Celtics have to feel confident they can win this one at home.
While they have struggled on the road (7-12), the Celtics have been pretty solid at home (9-6). Take Boston to win Wednesday night.