The Boston Celtics (57-16) will look to snap a rare losing streak when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans (45-28) Saturday evening. The Celtics have lost two in a row, while the Pelicans grabbed a win in their last game over the Bucks. This is the second and final meeting between these teams this season, with Boston winning 118-112 in the first contest.
The Celtics are clean on the injury front. New Orleans is still without Brandon Ingram as he recovers from a knee issue, while Jose Alvarado is considered questionable.
The Celtics are 6-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total sitting at 223. Boston is -230 on the moneyline while New Orleans is +190.
Celtics vs. Pelicans, 5 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Pelicans +6
Both teams have been solid at covering the spread this season. Boston is 38-32-3 ATS while New Orleans is 41-31-1 ATS. The Celtics are 17-16-3 ATS as a road favorite this season, while the Pelicans are 6-4 ATS as a home underdog. New Orleans is actually slightly better away from home this season straight up.
Even though Boston will have the talent advantage with Ingram sidelined, I do think the Pelicans are able to slow down the Celtics enough to keep pace with them offensively and cover this spread.
Over/Under: Under 223
The Celtics are 20-18 to the over on the road, but home unders for the Pelicans have been hitting this season. New Orleans is 16-19 to the over as the home side and has gone under its totals in three of its last four games. Going back further, the Pelicans have gone under their totals in eight of the last 11 games. Even though the Celtics have gone over their totals in the last five games, I think the Pelicans lock in defensively at home. I’ll take the under in this one.