Boston Celtics vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction, 3/17/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Portland Trail Blazers

Date: Friday, March 17, 2023

Location: Moda Center in Portland, OR

TV: ROOT Sports

The Portland Trail Blazers will take on the Boston Celtics at Moda Center on Friday.

The Celtics stepped onto the hardwood against the Timberwolves and took home the win by a score of 104-102 in their last game. Boston ended the contest having earned a 40.5% FG percentage (34 of 84) and made 12 of their 40 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Celtics made 24 of 30 attempts for a rate of 80.0%. In the matter of getting rebounds, they compiled 44 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 20 assists in this matchup as well as forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and getting 7 steals. With regard to defending, Boston allowed the other team to go 44.0% from the floor on 37 of 84 shooting. Minnesota dished out 27 dimes and had 3 steals in this matchup. On top of that, Minnesota had 46 rebounds (8 offensive, 38 defensive) and added 5 rejections. Minnesota went 72.7% from the charity stripe by burying 16 of 22 shots. They also knocked down 12 of their 36 shots from beyond the arc. When discussing fouls, the Celtics ended up finishing with 22 and the Timberwolves totaled 23 fouls.

Jaylen Brown is someone who was a factor for this contest. He finished with 35 points on 12 out of 24 shooting. He saw the court for 37 minutes and totaled 10 boards. Brown finished shooting 50.0% from the floor and also totaled 1 assist.

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Boston will enter this game with a mark of 48-22 this season. They have an average of 117.5 points per contest (4th in the league) while shooting 47.3% from the floor. The Celtics are shooting 37.6% on shots from distance (1,108 of 2,950) and 82.0% from the free throw line. As a team, Boston is snagging 45.1 rebounds per game and is sitting with 1,835 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 7th in the NBA in terms of passing. They cough up possession 13.4 times per game and as a squad are committing 19.3 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Celtics are able to force 12.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.5 personal fouls. They give up 35.1% from 3-point land and they are 8th in the NBA in PPG allowed (112.2). The Celtics defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 46.5% (2,933 of 6,302) and they relinquish 44.0 boards per game as a squad. They are 5th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,608 conceded on the campaign.

When they last played, the Trail Blazers went home defeated by a final of 123-107 when they played the Knicks. The Trail Blazers snagged 27 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 for the matchup. They also coughed up the ball 10 times, while recording 8 steals for the contest. The Knicks committed 13 fouls for this contest which got the Trail Blazers to the free throw line for a total of 18 tries. They were able to convert 14 of them for a percentage of 77.8%. Regarding three-point attempts, Portland converted 17 out of 45 tries (37.8%). At the conclusion of this game, the Trail Blazers finished the game shooting 38 for 99 from the floor which had them sitting at 38.4%. The Trail Blazers permitted the Knicks to make 42 of 81 tries from the floor which had them shooting 51.9% for this game. They finished 42.9% from distance by connecting on 15 out of 35 and finished the game at 24 out of 34 from the free throw line (70.6%). When discussing cleaning up the glass, Portland permitted New York to grab 52 in total (9 on the offensive glass).

Damian Lillard was important for the Trail Blazers in this matchup. Lillard totaled 38 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood and had 7 dimes for the matchup. He converted 11 out of 26 in this game giving him a rate of 42.3%, and had 7 rebounds.

Portland has a win-loss record of 31-38 on the campaign. When it comes to offense, the Trail Blazers are shooting 47.9% from the field, which is ranked 10th in the league. Portland has scored 7,897 points this season (114.4 per contest) and they average 41.1 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 24.1 times per contest (22nd in the NBA) and they turn it over 14.6 times per contest. The Trail Blazers are responsible for committing 20.3 fouls per contest and they hit 80.2% from the charity stripe.

The Portland defense gives up 37.3% on 3-point shots (835 of 2,241) and their opposition knocks down 78.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 26.3 assists and 42.0 boards every game, which is 28th and 7th in the league. The Trail Blazers are ranked 19th in basketball in points given up per game with 115.9. They are forcing 13.4 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 48.8% from the floor (26th in the NBA).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Portland

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