Boston Celtics vs New Orleans Pelicans Point Spread Picks

The last few days of the NBA regular season can be crazy. Strange things can happen. This is one of those games. Boston is ahead of the Knicks for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference by two games with two games left. If the Celtics win this game against the Pelicans or defeat the Magic at home on Sunday, they earn the second seed. Boston doesn't even have to win to get the No. 2 seed if the Knicks were to lose to the Raptors today or to the Hornets on Sunday. Both the Celtics and Knicks games today start at the same time. So Boston could be doing some scoreboard watching. Disregard Boston’s 54-26 mark and New Orleans’ 26-54 record. Circumstances make this game much closer than the inflated point spread suggests. The Pelicans have a rest advantage following a 156-137 win against the Jazz three days ago. New Orleans had a season high in points despite sitting out its starters. Boston fell to the Knicks on the road last night, 112-106. Jayson Tatum had 24 points, but played 35-plus minutes. Jaylen Brown, Boston's leading scorer at 28.8 points, did not play because of left Achilles tendinitis and is questionable here. The youthful Pelicans are full of energy and will look to push the pace. The Celtics are playing without rest and for the eighth time in 13 days. They don't care about the point spread. They just want to get a victory. That won't be as easy as the oddsmaker thinks. Take the Pelicans on the point spread and on the moneyline.

Combine the Bobcats (-800) and the Celtics (-500) into a 2-team parlay at -286 odds.

Boston is only 13-7 straight up and 7-13 ATS at home this season, making the Celtics very vulnerable especially when laying big points are they are tonight. The Celtics were trounced by Sacramento two nights ago 114-97 at TD Garden as the Kings opened the fourth quarter with a 24-9 run to lead 100-85. New Orleans has won three of five, including 123-115 over Philadelphia on Friday. C.J. McCollum scored 38 points and the Pelicans won it without Zion Williamson, who was suspended for one game due to lateness to practices and flights. Boston has lost three of its past five home games outright and it's asking a lot for the Celtics to cover this number. Take the Pelicans.

The Boston Celtics had a pair of awkward games vs. Atlanta. The Hawks came back from down 30 to win two games ago, and Boston was back in Atlanta for their next game, and lost in overtime. You have to go back over a year to find the last time the Celtics lost three straight regular season games. This will be the third time Boston will take the court this season off of two straight losses and they won and covered both of the previous two. I think this team is going to be angry when they take the court and put on a clinic in New Orleans. The last two trips to New Orleans have resulted in double-digit Boston wins, and I see the third coming tonight. Make the play on Boston.