The Boston Celtics were far more fortunate on the second night of Friday/Saturday’s back-to-back against the Chicago Bulls than they were on the first leg against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Neither matchup featured Marcus Smart, and neither will tonight’s.
Boston will look to overcome this with another well-balanced performance from the starting lineup and hope the bench can get one breakout night from the bunch.
The New Orleans Pelicans will look to overcome its own season-long absence of Zion Williamson with a continued reliance on Brandon Ingram leading the pack and a steady dose of scoring from its own starting five.
Hardwood Houdini has a prediction, odds, and TV information for the Monday night matchup:
Boston Celtics vs. New Orleans Pelicans odds, spread, over/under
According to WynnBet, the Celtics are a 6-point favorite against the Bulls at home. New Orleans is a +190 underdog on the road, with the Cs moneyline set at -230. The over/under for the game has been placed at 215.5 points.
Tonight’s line is nearly exactly the same as the Bulls game. The over is a half-point less and the spread and ML is the same.
Celtics vs. Pelicans TV channel
This one will be broadcast locally on NBC Sports Boston, Bally Sports New Orleans, and Bally Sports Southwest. You could also catch the early afternoon action on NBA League Pass.
Celtics vs. Pelicans prediction
This is an early matchup at home against the Pelicans, with the tipoff set for 12:30 PM eastern. That fact alone could lead to a low-scoring matchup.
Boston has been hitting the total over in points in recent matchups–which meant it could have naturally been due–but throw in the unusual early start time and two offenses in the league’s bottom third, all signs are pointing to the under being the play here.