After six games that have seen the home team come out victorious in each, the Eastern Conference Round 2 matchup between the Wizards and the Celtics will get a Game 7 decider this Tuesday, the 16th of May kicking off at 10am (AEST).
Wizards star point guard John Wall hit a massive three point shot with just seconds left in game six to give the Wizards a one-point lead before some great defence on the last Celtics possession gave Washington the win to force a game seven in Boston.
The two teams have now played 10 games through the regular and post season, with the home team coming out victorious on every occasion. The stat doesn’t bode well for the Wizards, who regardless of a great momentum building win in game six, will need to do something they haven’t done all year, win in Boston, to book a meeting with Cleveland in the Conference Finals.
The star guard combo of John Wall and Bradley Beal has been fantastic so far this series, combining for 48 points per game, however, the production off the Wizards bench has been fairly lacklustre. Brandon Jennings has struggled to find his usual offensive groove while Kelly Oubre Jr has been inconsistent to say the least.
On the other side of the ball, it was also the Celtics guard combo in Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley that shone in game six, combining for 54 points and 80 minutes as Bradley was tasked with the difficult job of defending John Wall for the majority of his 42 minutes on the floor.
The Wizards have really struggled to get Otto Porter and Marcin Gortat involved over the last two games. In games three and four, they both excelled at taking smaller players on the block, particularly Porter when he was matched up against Isaiah Thomas. In game six, the two players combined for just 4 points and the Wizards will need plenty more out of them here.
TIP: Marcin Gortat OVER 9.5 Points - $1.85 at Sportsbet
Al Horford has been a mainstay throughout the series, quietly going about his business averaging 16 points and 7 rebounds throughout the post season so far. At over $26m per year, this crucial game seven seems like it could be time for Horford to finally show the Boston fan base exactly why he’s worth that much, at just 15.5, his line seems a few points to low here.
TIP: Al Horford OVER 15.5 Points - $1.78 at Sportsbet
The season’s history between these two teams makes it really hard to bet against the Celtics here, whom since their two losses to Chicago have yet to lose a game at home. Apart from game six which was a one-point margin, every game in the series has been at least 10 points, so 5.5 line isn’t too daunting. We’re happy taking the favourites here and hoping the home crowd can spur them home.
TIP: Boston Celtics -5.5 - $1.95 at William Hill
Always Gamble Responsibly.
