Portland Trail Blazers vs Boston Celtics 3/8/23 – The season is heating up, and these teams know the significance of these games as time runs out. Portland Trail Blazers head out on their fourth game of their sixth road trip against Boston Celtics – teams they haven’t met since January but will meet twice within 10 days. The Boston Celtics was the best bet tonight to win and cover the spread.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Boston Celtics
Date & Time: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at 7:30 PM ET
Location: TD Garden
Portland Trail Blazers vs Boston Celtics Betting Odds
Trail Blazers
Moneyline: +420
Spread: +9.5 (-116)
Total: TBD
Celtics
Moneyline: -556
Spread: -9.5 (-116)
Total: TBD
Portland Trail Blazers vs Boston Celtics Analysis
The Western Conference is in a tight race between ninth and 13th places, and Portland Trail Blazers finds themselves in the thick of it at 10th. That’s good enough for them to earn the final play-in spot but they would prefer not to be tied for it with another team only half a game back. So here they go on the road where they have gone 14-19 this season while playing pressure-packed games in March without starting center Jusuf Nurkic who is out while fellow starter Anfernee Simons remains uncertain. Their effective field goal percentage as a team is 55.9%, ranking ninth in the NBA. 41.7% of their shots are three-pointers and they make 37.5% – the eighth-highest rate – while hitting 80.6% of free throws which ranks sixth in the league. Unfortunately, protecting the ball can be an issue as they rank 22nd in turnover percentage offensively. If you’re wondering why their offense is so potent, yet they’re only 31-34, the answer lies in their defensive rating this season which ranks 27th in the league. Furthermore, they don’t allow many three-point attempts – ranking fifth in this category – but nearly every other statistic puts them in the bottom half of NBA rankings.
Boston Celtics had been leading the NBA for much of the season, but their current stretch of four losses in five games combined with Milwaukee’s incredible 17-1 run has them second in the Eastern Conference. Barring an unexpected collapse, they could still make the playoffs; we saw last season how important home court can be when hosting Milwaukee for Game 7. They currently rank third in offensive rating and top-10 in several statistics such as effective field goal percentage, turnover percentage, free throw percentage, and three-point percentage. However, Boston could improve upon these areas; their free throw rate this season ranks 26th while they take only 32.3% of their shots at the rim which puts them 23rd nationally. The Celtics have impressive defensive numbers, ranking fourth in defensive rating and top-10 for many defensive stats. Opponent offensive rebound percentage, free throw rate, effective field goal percentage and block percentage all rank among the best in the NBA for Boston; they force opponents to shoot at midrange with the second highest percentage in the league; however they struggle with forcing turnovers as they rank 28th overall in turnover percentage.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Boston Celtics Against the Spread
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Portland’s last 5 games. Portland are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games against Boston. Portland are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games on the road. The total has gone OVER in 4 of Portland’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston. Portland are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games against an opponent in the Eastern Conference conference.
Boston are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games. The total has gone OVER in 8 of Boston’s last 11 games. Boston are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games. The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston’s last 6 games against Portland. The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston’s last 6 games at home. The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games when playing at home against Portland.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Boston Celtics Free Pick
Boston must win this game to stop the bleeding. Their home crowd has already booed them vociferously recently, so the Celtics faithful will demand an incredible performance tonight – especially if Tatum plays. The Blazers haven’t fared well on the road this season, dropping their last three away games against teams currently in play-in contention or potentially. Boston’s defense is miles ahead of Portland’s, and that should make all the difference in a convincing win for Boston. Take the Celtics against the spread to secure a victory according to the NBA betting line.
Free Pick: Boston Celtics -9.5 (-116)
