Expert NBA Betting Picks - Pistons Host Reeling Celtics, Matchup Makes for Perfect Parlay Pick
The Boston Celtics may have entered the 2009-10 NBA regular season as one of the top NBA betting free picks to hoist this year’s NBA Championship trophy, but you’d never know it the way the Celtics have played recently.
Coming off one of the biggest upsets of the entire regular season, Boston looks to snap out of its dismal funk and get back in the win column when they visit the Palace of Auburn Hills for a matchup against the mediocre Detroit Pistons tonight at 7:30 PM ET.
Tuesday, March, 2 7:30 PM ET
NBA Betting Odds: Celtics -4.5
(O/U) 188
Boston Celtics (36-21 SU, 21-35-1 ATS, 27-29-1 O/U)
Detroit Pistons (21-38 SU, 25-32-2 ATS, 27-30-2 O/U)
Before I break down tonight’s matchup, let’s take a look at the key head-to-head trends surrounding tonight’s contest.
- Under is 7-0 in the last 7 meetings in Detroit.
- Celtics are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Detroit.
- Under is 16-5 in the last 21 meetings.
- Underdog is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
- Road team is 14-5 ATS in the last 19 meetings.
Boston 411
Celtics are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
Celtics are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a losing S.U. record.
Celtics are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 vs. Eastern Conference.
Under is 5-1 in Celtics last 6 road games.
The Celtics have lost two straight games and three of its last four overall and looked absolutely pitiful in losing to the lowly New Jersey Nets 104-96 at the TD Garden on Saturday.
Boston got a fine performance from Kevin Garnett who scored a team-high 26 points while pulling down eight rebounds, but the Celtics were outscored 34-9 at the free throw line in the shocking loss.
The C’s failed to cover the NBA betting odds as a 10.5-point home favorite to fall to 0-4 ATS over the last four games and a bankroll-busting 2-8 ATS over the last 10 games overall.
Detroit 411
Pistons are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
Pistons are 2-6-1 ATS in their last 9 vs. Eastern Conference.
Pistons are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Under is 5-1 in Pistons last 6 vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
The Pistons have lost three consecutive games and were handed a 95-88 loss by the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. Detroit got a team-high 18 points and six rebounds from veteran forward Tayshaun Prince but allowed Warriors’ rookie Stephen Curry to score a game-high 27 points while draining 3-of-6 three-pointers.
The Pistons failed to cover the NBA betting odds as a 4-point road underdog to fall to 1-2 ATS over the last three games.
The Scoop: The Boston Celtics have a ton of problems right now, but will be getting back leading scorer Paul Pierce from a sprained thumb tonight.
Pierce has missed Boston’s last three games but took part in Boston's practice on Monday.
The Celtics will be in all-out ‘desperation-mode’ tonight as they try to bounce back from a loss against the worst team in the NBA this season while snapping a two-game home losing streak.
A lack of defense has characterized Boston’s breakdowns. The Celtics have allowed an average of 108.0 points over their last four games, the first time any such streak has occurred since the franchise acquired perennial all-star Kevin Garnett in April of 2007.
"In this league you have to get stops, it's that simple," Garnett said. "A team gets into a rhythm, and it's hard to turn it off."
Boston should be able to stop a Pistons team that ranks 29th in the league in scoring, averaging a dismal 92.4 points per game.
Boston hopes to bounce back on the road, where it has a better record this season than on its home court. The Celtics are 20-10 away from TD Garden, winning three straight before a 114-105 loss to Denver on Feb. 21.
Detroit is back at home after losing the final three games of a four-game trip, while falling completely apart in the final periods of two of their last three games, getting outscored by at least 10 points in each contest.
"We have some veteran guys on this team who have been in this position before and now we have people who make mistakes that they normally don't," coach John Kuester told the Pistons' official Web site. "It's been a dilemma of late."
Analysis: I’m going to keep my analysis on this contest brief as I get right to the point by saying that I fully expect the Boston Celtics to win this contest and cover the NBA betting odds simply because they are going to be absolutely desperate to get back to their winning ways tonight.
The Celtics will almost assuredly come out with one of their best defensive efforts of the season tonight after getting ripped for their defensive efforts by team leader Kevin Garnett following their loss to New Jersey.
Boston may have some big problems right now, but the Pistons’ problems are even bigger. The team scored 19 fourth quarter points against a Golden State Warriors team that plays absolutely no defense the last time out and will find putting the ball in the hole even harder tonight against the stingy Celtics.
Boston has been the best road team in the league this season (20-10 SU) and has been a solid wager away from TD Garden (15-15 ATS).
While both ballclubs have recorded some dismal ATS wagering statistics coming into this contest, the key head-to-head trends suggest a solid Celtics SU win and ATS victory.
The Celtics have gone an impressive 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings against the Pistons when they play in Detroit and the road team in this series has gone a consistent 14-5 ATS in the last 19 meetings.
Cementing my pick for a Boston payday is the fact that the Detroit also have a losing SU (14-16) and ATS (13-16-1) record on their home floor this season.
In addition to playing the Celtics to win and cover the NBA betting odds, I also like the Under as it has gone a perfect 7-0 in the last seven meetings against the Pistons in Detroit and 16-5 in the last 21 meetings between these two teams overall.
NBA Expert Picks: Boston Celtics -4.5 Points/Under 188 Total Points
