PREMIUM
Rogers' *10* NBA Game of the Day >> 9-1 L10 Sides! 10-2 Overall L3 Days!
(NBA) Boston vs. Brooklyn,
Point Spread: 8.00 | -110.00 Brooklyn (Home)
Result: Win
Point Spread: 8.00 | -110.00 Brooklyn (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: The 43-25 Boston Celtics are 1 1/2 games up on the Washington Wizards for the East's No. 2 seed. They are also just 2 1/2 games back of the top-seeded Cavs but head out on a two-game road trip tonight (first stop, Brooklyn), playing without star PG Isaiah Thomas (29.2 & 6.0 APG). Thomas will not travel with the team on the trip as he rests a right knee bone bruise, the team announced Thursday. The Nets are an NBA-worst 13-54 but continue to show some level of improvement, having won four of their last nine.
Boston: Playing without Thomas makes life tough but fortunately Avery Bradley looks to be back near 100 percent. The team's seconding-leading scorer (16.9) and rebounder (5.2), is also the team's best perimeter defender. It's also goods news that center Al Horford (14.0 & 5.4) is back to playing well. He was slumping offensively before sitting out a pair of games earlier this month but he has bounced back nicely, averaging 14.3 points while shooting 65.8 percent from the floor and making 5-of-7 three-pointers in a four-game span. Marcus Smart (10.8 & 4.4 APG) is expected to fill Thomas' role at the point.
Brooklyn: Making the Nets' recent so-called "surge" even sweeter is that they've beaten their in-city rivals (New York Knicks) twice in a span of five days. Brook Lopez led a balanced attack with 24 points in Brooklyn's 121-110 victory at Madison Square Garden last night. Jeremy Lin (14.3 & 5.0 APG) is finally over his hamstring problems and he makes a difference. In fact, Brooklyn is 7-13 with Lin in the lineup and 6-41 without him. Swingman Hollis-Jefferson (8.3 & 5.3) finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds last night, for his second double-double in a span of three games (he is shooting 54.3 percent since the All-Star break!).
The pick: The Celtics have been able to use their preferred starting-five just 28 times this season, going 21-7 (.750) but with variation of that lineup they are a more modest 22-18 (.550). The last time Thomas missed time, the Celtics were just 1-3, averaging 102 PPG, down from 107.2 on the season. Lin is back, Lopez (team's leading scorer at 20.5 PPG) has scored at least 24 points in three straight contests and the entire team seems to much looser. Make Brooklyn a 10* play.
Boston: Playing without Thomas makes life tough but fortunately Avery Bradley looks to be back near 100 percent. The team's seconding-leading scorer (16.9) and rebounder (5.2), is also the team's best perimeter defender. It's also goods news that center Al Horford (14.0 & 5.4) is back to playing well. He was slumping offensively before sitting out a pair of games earlier this month but he has bounced back nicely, averaging 14.3 points while shooting 65.8 percent from the floor and making 5-of-7 three-pointers in a four-game span. Marcus Smart (10.8 & 4.4 APG) is expected to fill Thomas' role at the point.
Brooklyn: Making the Nets' recent so-called "surge" even sweeter is that they've beaten their in-city rivals (New York Knicks) twice in a span of five days. Brook Lopez led a balanced attack with 24 points in Brooklyn's 121-110 victory at Madison Square Garden last night. Jeremy Lin (14.3 & 5.0 APG) is finally over his hamstring problems and he makes a difference. In fact, Brooklyn is 7-13 with Lin in the lineup and 6-41 without him. Swingman Hollis-Jefferson (8.3 & 5.3) finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds last night, for his second double-double in a span of three games (he is shooting 54.3 percent since the All-Star break!).
The pick: The Celtics have been able to use their preferred starting-five just 28 times this season, going 21-7 (.750) but with variation of that lineup they are a more modest 22-18 (.550). The last time Thomas missed time, the Celtics were just 1-3, averaging 102 PPG, down from 107.2 on the season. Lin is back, Lopez (team's leading scorer at 20.5 PPG) has scored at least 24 points in three straight contests and the entire team seems to much looser. Make Brooklyn a 10* play.
