Boston Looking for 2-0 Lead
The best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup between the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics continues this Tuesday night in an 8 p.m. start on TNT with Game 2 of this best-of-seven showdown. BetAnySports has the Celtics as 5-point home favorites and the total has been set at 219 points. Washington opened up a 12-point first quarter lead in Game 1 of this series this past Sunday, but it was all Boston from there with the Wizards going down 123-111 as four-point road underdogs. The total went OVER BetAnySports’ closing 216-point line and it has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in six of Washington’s last eight games. The Wizards have now failed to cover against the spread in four of their last five games. John Wall and Bradley Beal led the way in Washington’s 4-2 series win against Atlanta in the opening round and they combined for 47 points in Sunday’s loss. The team, as a whole, shot a productive 51.1 percent from the field and it also matched its opponents under the boards with 38 rebounds. However, the Wizards could not keep pace on the scoreboard following that early lead. Through their first seven postseason games they are averaging 107.2 points per game.NBA Playoff Fortunes Have Turned for Celtics
The Celtics lost the first two games at home in their opening round series against Chicago, but they have now gone a perfect 5-0 both straight-up and ATS in their last five playoff games. The total stayed UNDER in their final four games against the Bulls before going OVER in Game 1 of this series. Going back over Boston’s last 11 home games, it is still a costly 3-8 ATS and the total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in eight of its last 12 games played at home. Boston’s hottest hands this postseason belong to Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley. Thomas easily surpassed his 24.4-point scoring average in the playoffs with a game-high 33 points in Sunday’s victory with Bradley adding another 18 points to the winning cause. The Celtics shot 51.1 percent from the field and they connected on 19-of-39 shots from three-point range. They have averaged 106.1 points through seven playoff games. I would stick with the home team on Tuesday night both SU and ATS as the Celtics continue to pick up more and more momentum with each postseason game they play.