Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Clippers Prediction, 12/23/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Clippers

Date: Saturday, December 23, 2023

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Bally Sports SoCal

The Los Angeles Clippers (17-11) welcome the Boston Celtics (21-6) at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.

The Celtics faced the Kings and walked away with a win by a score of 144-119 in their last game. Boston walked away from the contest having earned a 55.4% field goal percentage (51 out of 92) and made 22 of 42 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Celtics made 20 of 24 tries for a percentage of 83.3%. In regard to getting rebounds, they compiled a total of 50 with 14 of them being offensive. They also dished out 35 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the opposition into 7 turnovers and having 6 steals. Pertaining to defense, Boston allowed the other team to go 47.3% from the floor on 43 of 91 shooting. Sacramento totaled 29 dimes and had 4 steals in the game. On top of that, Sacramento had 37 rebounds (12 offensive, 25 defensive) and earned 10 blocks. Sacramento finished the contest at 52.2% when shooting free throws by converting 12 of their 23 shots. They knocked down 21 of their 44 shots from three-point range. When it comes to personal fouls, the Celtics left the arena with 17 and the Kings accounted for 15 personal fouls.

Jaylen Brown is a player who was important for this game. He totaled 28 points on 11 of 21 shooting. He played 29 minutes and also pulled down 5 rebounds. Brown walked away from this one shooting 52.4% from the floor and also recorded 6 dimes.

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Boston heads into this contest with a record of 21-6 this year. They currently have an average of 118.9 points per contest (7th in the league) while hitting 47.8% from the floor. The Celtics are shooting 37.4% on 3-pointers (433 of 1,159) and 80.6% from the charity stripe. As a team, Boston is pulling in 46.9 rebounds per contest and has totaled 680 assists so far this year, which ranks 24th in basketball in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.4 times per contest and as a squad they commit 17.5 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Celtics are forcing 12.3 turnovers every game and they draw 18.3 fouls. They are currently ranked 3rd in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 647 conceded for the campaign. The Celtics defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 44.7% (1,104 of 2,471) and they surrender 43.2 boards per contest as a group. They are conceding 37.1% on shots from distance and they are ranked 3rd in the league in points per game allowed (109.8).

When they last stepped on the court, the Clippers took a loss by a score of 134-115 against the Thunder. In reference to attacking the glass, Los Angeles allowed Oklahoma City to pull down 38 in total (6 on the offensive side). They shot 47.1% from beyond the perimeter by going 16 of 34 and walked away from this one shooting 16 of 18 from the free throw line (88.9%). The Clippers allowed the Thunder to make 51 of their 87 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 58.6% for this game. In all, the Clippers finished 44 for 93 from the field which gave them a percentage of 47.3%. Concerning shooting from downtown, Los Angeles made 17 out of their 43 attempts (39.5%). They were able to make 10 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 83.3%. The Thunder earned 11 personal fouls for this game which got the Clippers to the charity stripe for 12 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 15 times, while getting 9 steals in this matchup. The Clippers corralled 28 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 for the contest.

James Harden ended up being a factor for the Clippers in this matchup. Harden racked up 23 points in his 34 minutes on the court and had 6 dimes in this game. He buried 7 out of 18 for this contest for a field goal rate of 38.9%, and earned 9 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a win-loss mark of 17-11 so far this season. The Clippers have committed 20.2 fouls per contest and they go 80.0% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 25.4 times per contest (22nd in basketball) and they are turning it over 13.3 times per contest. Los Angeles has scored 3,276 points so far this year (117.0 per contest) and they snag 44.0 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Clippers are shooting 48.6% from the floor, which ranks them 5th in basketball.

The Los Angeles defense gives up 35.0% on 3-point attempts (346 of 989) and their opponents are converting on 78.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 25.7 dimes and 42.6 total rebounds per game, which is 12th and 8th in the league. The Clippers on the defensive side of the court are 8th in the NBA in points given up per game with 111.5. They are forcing their opponents into 13.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.7% from the floor (6th in the NBA).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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