NBA Preview: The Celtics and Jazz are hoping to even their individual series at 2-2 in a pair of Game 4’s Sunday night.
#1 Boston Celtics (54-41) at #8 Chicago Bulls (43-42), Sunday, 6:30 p.m. EST
Line: Celtics -2.5. Total 204.
Series: Bulls lead 2-1.
The thumb injury to the Bulls’ Rajon Rondo was just the boost the Celtics needed to get back into this series. Jimmy Butler struggled in Game 3, shooting 7-for-21 from the field. Butler also had a -27 plus/minus rating, meaning the Bulls were outscored by 27 points when Butler was on the court.
The Celtics had great balance in Game 3 with Al Horford leading the way with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Isaiah Thomas added 16 points and 9 assists, Jae Crowder had 16 points and 6 boards, while Avery Bradley 15 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds. Terry Rozier came off the bench to score 11 points.
The home team had won 7 straight in this series until the playoffs. The road team has won every game in the postseason. Boston is 24-18 on the road this season which ranks them #4 in the league.
The Celtics have the momentum now. I talked about the NBA Zig-Zag Theory last night. According to that theory, the pick would be Chicago tonight. However, I do not blindly follow that theory. I have my own adjustments and modifications. You have to know when to zig and when to zag.
I am going to zag and take the Celtics to even the series.
My pick:
Boston Celtics -2.5, laying $110 to win $100 (1 unit, normal play).
Good luck.
#4 Los Angeles Clippers (53-32) at #5 Utah Jazz (52-33), Sunday 9 p.m. EST
Line: Jazz -2.5. Total 198.5.
Series: Clippers lead 2-1.
It is now or never for the Utah Jazz.
Blake Griffin’s season-ending toe injury opens the door for Utah to win this series. Rudy Gobert is still doubtful for Game 4, but even without him, the Jazz should be in the driver’s seat.
However, Chris Paul is going to have a say about that. Paul scored 24 of his 34 points in the second half of Game 3, after Griffin left the game. He took over the game at times in the second half. Consequently, Paul will be a great fantasy option tonight if you are into FanDuel or DraftKings.
Luc Mbah a Moute also added 13 of his 15 points in the second half for the Clippers. DeAndre Jordan added 9 points, while Jamal Crawford added 8 points in the second half as the Clippers outscored Utah 62-48 without Griffin.
Gordon Hayward scored a career-high 40 points for the Jazz in Game 3. Hayward was 13-for-21 from the field, while adding 9 rebounds and 4 assists. George Hill had 26 points while Joe Johnson added 15 points.
Utah needs to figure out a way to stop Paul. They are going to have to double-team him and make somebody else beat them.
Both teams shot better than 52% from the field for the game, but I expect those numbers to return to the mean, which means this game should go under.
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