Since I had not cut off before two days to win the Celtics winning at 2.00, I get it now at -1 and 1.91 and I say and thank you, because obviously the handicap will also climb.
The hosts are in excellent condition since Rondo went ... home to watch the rest of the season. Specifically, they count five wins in their last equal number of games, where they prevailed over the Heat (100-98 double OT), Kings (99-81), Magic (97-84), Clippers (106-104) and Raptors (99-95 a while ago) which was the only away match, as all the others above were given to TD Garden. With high psychology, they welcome the Lakers in the NBA el clasico in order to maintain the safe difference they have gained since the 9th East (Sixers), but also to climb further in the standings as they are currently in eighth place with a record. 25-23 and the-above-them-Bucks to count 25-22 and are currently playing in Utah. As we mentioned in a recent text for the Dog Rivers team, the "old men" Pierce and Garnett can make the third worst season of their career after rookie and that of 09-10 (for both), however they are the ones who with their appearances keep even marginally in the playoff a team that based on the depth it has on its bench should normally be This is not the case since Terry, Lee and Bass have not delivered as expected, with the former going through the second (after rookie) season of his career, the latter the worst in his five-year presence in the NBA and the third to be very low compared to his last two seasons in the top league in the world. The same is true for Jeff Green, who in recent games seems to be gradually improving and In all of this, Sullinger's injury was added, and he, like Rondo, misses the rest of the season, to make the Boston bench even poorer. However, they did not seem to affect the "greens" in any case judging by their appearances in the last five matches. In the statistics, the "greens" continue to be one of the best defenses in the league with an average of 96 passive points, which rank in 10th place, allowing the opponent to shoot with the 12th best 44.3% and also the 12th best 34.8% behind the arc. with the sixth best 46%, but also the third worst 33.3% in three-pointers, having the 12th worst attack with 95.6 points passive. They face a big problem in rebounds, as they collect only 39.6 per game which is the second worst in However, with the absence of the Lakers on the frontline, I do not think it will be particularly difficult to win this "battle" at least in this game.
The "Lakers" travel to the state of Massachusetts without the injured Howard and Gasol, with the former being seriously injured in the sole and reports that he will be out for at least six weeks (up to three months). At the same time, the former center of Magic suffers from a shoulder injury and states that he is not 100% ready at the moment he also revealed that there are times when he does not feel his legs when he is playing, which is due to the surgery he underwent before the start of the season. with Sacre in fifth place, while Clark will probably continue to start in the top five, with Jamison coming off the bench. Nevertheless, D'Antoni's team comes from three wins in a row and six in the last seven games that brought it in 10th place in the West and four victories from eighth place and playoff with a record of 23-26, against 27-24 of the eighth Houston. In fact, the 3/6 dominance came far from theLA and specifically after the Nets (92-83), Pistons (98-97) and Timberwolves (111-100), while the Jazz (102-84), Thunder (105-96) and Hornets (111-106) won in Staples Center, with the intermediate defeat in Phoenix (92-86) being the one that spoils the series of 7 consecutive victories. Undoubtedly, the "yellows" are on the rise, but the absences they will have in the match against Boston are special important, as he practically loses 19.9 rebounds (Howard 11.9 and Gasol 8), but also 29.9 points (16.5 and 13.4 respectively). This basically means that all the weight will fall aggressively on Bryant (well not that he is not ordinary or that we often see something different). For the Hollywood team it is worth saying that it has the seventh worst attack with an average of 100.5 passive points, allowing accuracy to the opponent that reaches 44.9% and brings it to the middle of the relevant table, but also 35.3% behind the "arc" .Also, this is a set quite prone to errors, as it counts the seventh more in the league with 15.3 per game, but also the sixth fewest steals with just 7.2.
I will not say anything more about the game, as my choice has two clear criteria. One concerns the amazing situation of the Celtics and the other the very important Lakers' absences on the frontline, which I think will be cost them already.