Saturday, January 21, 2017

TD Garden

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The Portland Blazers travel to TD Garden to play the Boston Celtics on Saturday, January 21, 2017. The opening line for this matchup has Boston as 6.5 point favorites. The Blazers come into this game with an overall record of 18-26. They are 4th in the Northwest Division. They currently have a point differential of -3.2 as they are averaging 107.4 points per game while giving up 110.6 per contest. The Celtics have an overall record of 26-16. They currently are 2nd in the Atlantic Division. They are averaging 107.0 points per game and surrendering 104.8, good for a point differential of 2.2.

Damian Lillard comes into this contest averaging 26.1 points per game while playing 35.6 minutes per night so far this season for the Blazers. He pulls down 4.9 rebounds per game and dishes out 6 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 44% while his free throw percentage is currently at 90%. C.J. McCollum averages 23.4 points per game in 34.4 minutes per contest this season. He averages 3.7 assists per contest and 3.5 rebounds per game for Portland. His field goal percentage is 48% for the year while his free throw percentage is 90%.

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Al Horford averages 15.1 points per game while playing 33 minutes per contest this year for the Celtics. He grabs 6.8 rebounds per game and has 5 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 45% and his free throw percentage currently is at 83%. Isaiah Thomas averages 28.7 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 34 minutes per contest. He also averages 2.7 rebounds per contest and 6 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 46% and his free throw percentage is 91%.

Portland averages 107.4 points per contest this season which ranks them 7th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is -3.2 and their shooting percentage is 46% as a team which has them ranked 13th. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 15th in the league. They average 50.6 rebounds per game and 22.3 assists per game which ranks them 21st and 15th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 14th with 13.8 per game. The Blazers allow 110.6 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 27th in the league. They also allow a 46% shooting percentage and a 38% average from behind the arc ranking them 20th and 28th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 54.1 rebounds a game which ranks 27th and they give up 21.1 assists per contest which puts them in 5th place in the league. They force 13.1 turnovers per game which ranks them 23rd in the league.

Boston averages 106.9 points per game this year which ranks them 9th in the league. Their average scoring margin is 2.1 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them sitting in the 17th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 8th in the NBA. They average 48.9 rebounds per game and 25 assists per contest which ranks them 29th and 3rd respectively. In the turnover department the Celtics rank 5th with 12.4 per game. The Celtics allow 104.8 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 15th in the league. They also allow a 45% shooting percentage and a 35% average from behind the arc ranking them 13th and 7th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 54.7 rebounds a game which ranks 28th and they give up 22.8 assists per contest which puts them in 18th place in the league. The Celtics force 14.2 turnovers per game which ranks them 14th in the NBA.

The Blazers have an offensive rating of 109.1 and a defensive rating of 112.3. In terms of pace they average 97.3 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 52%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 56% and they shoot 3 pointers on 33% of their shots. Portland turns the ball over an average of 12.5 times per 100 possessions and they force 11.7 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 51%.

The Celtics rating on offense is 111.5 and they have a defensive rating of 109.2. They get 95.7 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 52%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 56% and they attempt 3 pointers on 38% of their shot attempts. Boston turns the ball over on 11.5 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 12.9 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 51%.

Portland Blazers Betting Trends

The Portland Blazers are 18-26-0 against the spread

The Portland Blazers are 26-18-0 against the over/under

Boston Celtics Betting Trends

The Boston Celtics are 23-17-2 against the spread

The Boston Celtics are 22-20-0 against the over/under

Portland Blazers Injuries

10/25/16 C Festus Ezeli Knee out indefinitely
01/19/17 F Ed Davis Ankle "?" Friday vs. Philadelphia

Boston Celtics Injuries

01/20/17 PG Avery Bradley Achilles doubtful Saturday vs. Portland
01/20/17 C Tyler Zeller Illness "?" Saturday vs. Portland
01/09/17 G James Young Ankle out indefinitely

Josh's Pick: Take Boston -6.5

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