The NBA Finals is set to go for Game 2 on Sunday night from the Staples Center where the Boston Celtics will look to regroup from the pounding they absorbed from the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night; tip is scheduled for 8:00 ET and the basketball betting match-up can be seen live on ABC.
The Lakers are 6-point NBA Championship Final odds favorites and the over/under is 190.
Gone are the nightmares with one fell swoop from their match-up with the Celtics in the 2008 Finals! Because of it, the Los Angeles Lakers are well on their way towards hoisting yet another NBA Championship knowing full well that HC Phil Jackson is a perfect 47-0 in a series when his team snags a victory in Game 1.
The defending champs triumph came with relative ease as they outhustled, outboarded, and outshot the Celtics en route to picking up the 102-89 home win and cover. The victory saw the home team prevail for the first time between these rivals this NBA betting season.
As we’ve seen so many times throughout the playoffs, the tandem of G Kobe Bryant and C Pau Gasol was just simply unstoppable.
Bryant went off for a game high 30 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the field, and he was the leading assists-man with six overall. He converted nine of his 10 free throw attempts and also pulled down seven overall boards; second best on the team.
As for Gasol, he simply looked to be a man playing amongst boys totaling 23 points in all to go along with 14 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and three blocks. He seemingly took Kevin Garnett to school and looked to be a few steps faster than anyone that tried to defend him.
The Lakers only shot 48.7 percent from the field and converted just four-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc, but the defense was stifling as it limited the Celtics to a 43.3 percent effort from the field and forced 13 turnovers. Still, any time you surpass the century mark against Boston’s vaunted defense, you’re doing something right.
The Boston Celtics know a grueling slug fest is ahead of it the rest of the way after it got manhandled in the paint to the tune of a 48-30 scoring deficit. It was able to survive Orlando dominating down on the blocks simply because the Magic couldn’t shoot its way out of a paper bag.
With Los Angeles boasting a number of competent shooters, head coach Doc Rivers’ is going to have to change his defensive mindset if indeed the Celtics are to win this series let alone compete in it.
What the Celtics do have going for themselves heading into Game 2 is the fact that their superstars showed up in Game 1. Paul Pierce scored a team high 24 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, and Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnett all registered double-digits scoring.
That said; the bench was simply atrocious as it checked in with a whopping total of 16 points scored. The Lakers bench only offered up 15 points yet LA still cruised to the rather comfy 13-point home victory.
For Boston to compete in Game 2, it will need its starting five to increase its level of play, battle harder in the rebounding department, and get some major contributions from either Glen Davis, Rasheed Wallace, and Tony Allen off the bench.
The Celtics are 2-0 SU & ATS when trailing in the NBA betting playoffs this season, and they’re a $$$-making 5-0 ATS the L/5 times they allowed 100 or more points their previous game. However, they’re now a bankroll depleting 5-6 SU & 1-9-1 ATS against Pacific Division opponents this season.
The Lakers are 7-4 SU & 6-5 ATS when playing with a lead in the 2010 playoffs, and are 8-3 ATS the L/11 times they went off for 100+ points their previous game. That said; they’re just 22-27 ATS at home this season.
These squads have played to the ‘under’ four of the L/6 times they hooked up in the Staples Center.
Mike Rose has been in the sports handicapping business for over a decade, and is a leading sports writer for some of the top sports betting news websites on the internet. To keep up with him on a daily basis, you can