The Boston Celtics will look to snap their four-game losing streak straight up and against the spread when they host the Sacramento Kings on New Year’s Eve. Starting forward Jared Sullinger, the team?s leading rebounder, is questionable with an ankle injury. If Sullinger is absent for the first time this season, Brandon Bass would start in his place.
The spread is even and the total is 210 points at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Boston plays four games over the next week, alternating home and road games with the Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets.
Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last five games, while Sacramento is 0-4-1 ATS in that same span. The Kings have lost five straight road games, while the Celtics are 5-2 SU and ATS in their last seven games. Boston is 4-1 ATS and 5-0 SU in its last five home games against the Kings. The total has gone over in Sacramento?s last five games, and under in six of Boston?s last nine games. The total has gone under in 12 of the last 14 games between these two teams in Boston.
The biggest spread for New Year’s Eve currently has the Los Angeles Clippers favored by 13 points against the New York Knicks on the NBA betting lines. The Clippers are 21-11 SU, while the Knicks are 5-28. However, Los Angeles is 12-20 ATS, while the Knicks are 12-20-1. Los Angeles is 1-7 ATS in its last eight games, while New York is 1-3-1 ATS in its last five. This is the first meeting between these two teams this season after Los Angeles went 2-0 SU and ATS in 2013-2014.
The closest spread other than Boston-Sacramento is the Indiana Pacers as a four-point home favorite against the Miami Heat. The Pacers are only 6-8-1 ATS at home, while Miami is 8-6 ATS on the road. Indiana beat Miami 81-75 in November as a road underdog.
The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Milwaukee Bucks, and they are fifth and sixth in the East, respectively. Cleveland is a seven-point home favorite but could be without both LeBron James (knee) and Kevin Love (back). Both are hoping to play, but LeBron missed the team?s Tuesday game, and Love left the game in the third quarter. Milwaukee is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games, and 5-0 ATS in its last five road games according to the OddsShark NBA Database. Cleveland is 4-2 ATS in its last six games, and 2-6 ATS in its last eight home games. Milwaukee covered in a 111-108 loss in Cleveland in early December.
The next big matchup comes Friday, when the top teams from each conference square off in Oakland — the 25-5 Golden State Warriors host the 24-8 Toronto Raptors. The Warriors are 3-5 ATS in their last eight games, while the Raptors are 5-3 ATS in the same span.
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