NBA Betting – Celtics Hope To Avoid Friday Struggles

NBA Betting – Celtics Hope To Avoid Friday Struggles

The Washington Wizards just want to end their season. The Boston Celtics want to put an end to their maddeningly inconsistent play. The two teams meet in Beantown on Friday night. 

Washington Wizards @ Boston Celtics

Friday, April 9th – 7:35 PM ET

TD Garden – Boston, MA

TV: CSNN

Basketball Betting Spread: Celtics -11.5

The Week That Was: Wizards 

The week began for coach Flip Saunders’ squad on Friday, April 2. The Wizards lost at home to Chicago, 95-87, as a 12-point fourth quarter doomed Washington. Andray Blatche scored 18 points, gobbled up 13 rebounds, and handed out seven assists for the Wizards, but no one on his team helped him out. 

On Sunday, April 4, Washington cashed in on a bit of good luck in a 109-99 win over New Jersey. The Nets played at New Orleans the night before and had very little time to rest in between games. Blatche scored 20 points, dished out 13 dimes, and snared nine rebounds to lead the Wizards to their first home win in 10 tries. 

On Tuesday, April 6, Washington Wizards took advantage of a thin Golden State team in a 112-94 win. The visiting Warriors came to Washington, D.C., with only seven able-bodied players. The Wizards didn’t miss their big chance to register back-to-back wins. 

On Wednesday, April 7, the Wizards lost at Orlando, 121-94, as Dwight Howard produced a double-double for the Magic and Washington gave up 71 second-half points in a markedly porous display. 

The Week That Was: Celtics 

Coach Doc Rivers has to be beside himself. His team has shown occasional glimpses of the group that won the 2008 world championship, but it can’t develop any consistency. 

On Friday, April 2, the Boston Celtics blew a late-fourth quarter lead and then squandered a five-point advantage in overtime, falling to Houston by a 119-114 score. Boston missed 13 foul shots, three in the final minute of regulation, in a come-from-ahead defeat that might affect the Celtics’ playoff seeding. 

On Sunday, April 4, the C’s showed how good they can be in a 117-113 win over Cleveland. They built a 22-point lead thanks to a 33-point game from Ray Allen. Then again, they blew most of that lead and would have lost if LeBron James had nailed a 3-pointer in the final seconds. Still, it was a win over a very good team. 

On Tuesday, April 6, the Celtics then went back to their foolish ways, losing at the New York Knicks, 104-101. Boston coughed up 18 turnovers in an embarrassing defeat against a lowly opponent. 

On Wednesday, April 7, Boston won at Toronto, 115-104. Rajon Rondo scored 21 points and handed out seven assists to pace the Celtics. 

Outlook & Pick 

The Celtics have hardly been inspiring in their push for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The bad losses to Houston and New York could very well keep this team in the No. 4 slot and force Boston to face Cleveland in the East semifinals, not the East finals. As it stands, this is a must-win for the Celtics in the battle for the third slot in the postseason. The Wizards might put up a fight, but it’s hard to expect Washington to go into Boston and win on the final weekend of the regular season. 

Basketball bettingpick: Celtics