The Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs will meet for the second time this season on Saturday night, with Boston losing both SU and ATS at home versus San Antonio in their first matchup.
The Spurs topped the Celtics 112-100 as a 1-point road favorite on the NBA betting lines at the sportsbooks back on November 21 in the third OVER result in the past four games between the teams. Boston is 1-3-1 ATS in its past five against San Antonio.
(Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news). The Spurs are 18-6 so far on the season, and 15-8-1 ATS vs. the number. The Celtics, meanwhile, are 12-10 and 8-11-3 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen San Antonio go 14-10 and the Celtics go 12-9-1 on the totals.
View Boston vs San Antonio Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
On the Sportsbook line for this matchup at Sportsbook, the Spurs sat as 8-point favorites. The total had been pegged earlier by the oddsmakers at Sportsbook at 200.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 1 (Spurs) and the No. 18 (Celtics) teams in the league, according to our current NBA Power Rankings at Odds Shark. A 107-100 result in favor of the Spurs is predicted by handicapping models.
How They Match Up:
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Celtics rank No. 30 in the league with 38.6 per game. That compares with San Antonio’s No. 11 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where San Antonio is the NBA’s No. 5-ranked team at 8.4 per game, while the Celtics rate No. 29 with 5.3 per contest.
Defensively, the Celtics feature the league's No. 16-rated defense on the road, giving up 99.5 points per game. San Antonio, meanwhile, comes in at No. 7 in the league in scoring at home.
Last time out for Boston, they were a 101-89 loser as they battled the Rockets on the road. The Celtics failed to cover in the match as a 2.5-point underdog, while 190 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Paul Pierce scored 18 points in a failed effort to lead the Celtics to victory (they lost 101-89 to Houston at Toyota Center on Friday).
The Spurs were a 98-90 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Trail Blazers. They failed to cover the 7-point spread as favorites, while the total score (188) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. The Spurs endured a 98-90 loss at the hands of the Trail Blazers on Thursday, despite a 21-point effort from Tony Parker at Rose Garden.
Boston Celtics Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Chicago are 6-4
After playing Houston are 8-2
After a loss are 7-3
San Antonio Spurs Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Oklahoma City are 7-3
After playing Portland are 8-2
After a loss are 5-5
A few Celtics at Spurs trends to consider:
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
Boston is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Boston is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
San Antonio is 18-3 SU in its last 21 games at home
San Antonio is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
San Antonio is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing Boston
San Antonio is 15-5-1 ATS in its last 21 games at home
Next up:
Boston at Chicago, Tuesday, December 18
San Antonio at Oklahoma City, Monday, December 17
