by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Dec 29, 2021
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Where to watch: NBC Sports Boston, Bally Sports Southern California
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Celtics -5.5; O/U 225.5
BetMGM: Celtics -5.5; O/U 225.5
Caesars: Celtics -5.5; O/U 225.5
Season record
Clippers: 17-17 (6th place, Western Conference)
Celtics: 16-18 (9th place, Eastern Conference)
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Clippers - Celtics preview and analysis
Recent form
Clippers: lost five of six; lost 124-108 vs. Nets on Monday
Celtics: lost three of four; lost 108-103 at Timberwolves on Monday
We have two different rules of thumb for this Wednesday matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics. You can make an argument for either one.
On one hand, you have a Clippers team that is depleted by more than just health and safety protocols. Paul George is out for the next month, now down two superstars for an extended period of time with Kawhi Leonard still out. On top of that, starting point guard Reggie Jackson is now out for the next few games.
Oh, and they’ve lost five of six and are coming off being swept in a home back-to-back against the Denver Nuggets and Brooklyn Nets. The key to that? Star power from the other teams. Nikola Jokic had a 20-20 game, while James Harden cooked for 39 points and 15 assists on Monday in a 124-108 Clippers loss.
“He picked us apart, everything we did,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.
There’s no denying the Clippers miss their top stars, especially George as he was in the midst of a career season before suffering a torn ligament in his right elbow. Los Angeles shot 38.1 percent from the floor while playing 11 guys. Marcus Morris Sr. led with a team-high 24 points on 6 of 13 shooting, while Eric Bledsoe was the next highest scorer with 15 points on just 5 of 12 shooting.
The Celtics aren’t alone in not having top guys available. Leading scorer Jayson Tatum entered health and safety protocols and was not available for the Celtics’ 108-103 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
Normally, a loss to the Timberwolves is a head scratcher in of itself. Losing to Minnesota without Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell is another story. The Celtics shot just 37.1 percent from the floor; they got 26 points from Jaylen Brown, but the All-Star guard took 24 shots to get there.
Reserve point guard Payton Pritchard played an astounding 45 minutes and scored 24 points on just 8 of 22 shooting. Al Horford had 16 points along with nine rebounds. Playing nine guys, apparently, is not a good enough excuse from losing to Minnesota.
"One of the poorest losses of the year," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. "A team as depleted as we are just out-hustled us. Very undisciplined effort overall."
Boston is 3-7 in its last 10 and has gone from two games over .500 to falling two games below in three weeks. The Celtics are 3-2 against the spread in their last five; they failed to cover as 5-point favorites against Minnesota while the under barely cashed for the third time in four games.
The Clippers are 2-4 ATS in their last six during this straight-up slump. They covered as 4-point dogs on Sunday against Denver while failing to do so Monday while getting 3.5. The over against Brooklyn was the first time since Dec. 15 the Clippers have seen the total go over and is 14-20 this season.
Prediction
It’s all hands on deck for the Clippers for the next few weeks, and even with the depth they have, it’s hard for me to look at them and see an immediate answer for offense. While the Celtics are nowhere near perfect at the moment, they at least can still do enough defensively to shut down a struggling offense. Look for an angry Celtics team to bounce back and win at home. Celtics by 10
Betting trends
The Clippers are 56-39 ATS following a game where they failed to cover over the last three seasons.
The Clippers are 69-98 ATS since 1992 when trailing the previous game by 15 or more at halftime.
The Celtics are 15-5 ATS at home after losing four or five of their last six over the last two seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Clippers:
PG: Eric Bledsoe
SG: Luke Kennard
SF: Marcus Morris Sr.
PF: Serge Ibaka
C: Ivica Zubac
SF: Marcus Morris Sr.
PF: Serge Ibaka
C: Ivica Zubac
Celtics:
PG: Payton Pritchard
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Romeo Langford
PF: Al Horford
C: Robert Williams III
SF: Romeo Langford
PF: Al Horford
C: Robert Williams III
Key injuries
Clippers: Paul George (elbow, out), Kawhi Leonard (ACL, out), Nicolas Batum (ankle, out), Reggie Jackson (COVID, out)
Celtics: Jayson Tatum (COVID, out), Marcus Smart (hand, questionable), Dennis Schroder (COVID, out)
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
