Boston Celtics vs. New Orleans Pelicans 12/10/18: Starting Lineups, Matchup Breakdown, Odds, Daily Fantasy, Betting
Boston Celtics vs. New Orleans Pelicans Preview
The Boston Celtics (15-10) will host Anthony Davis and the visiting New Orleans Pelicans (14-14) on Monday night in the second and last game of the season series. In the first game, at Smoothie King Center, former Duke and Kentucky products Kyrie Irving and Davis battled, but it was the Celtics who got the better of the exchange, wining 124-107 on the road.
The Pelicans hope to return the favor tonight, coming off of a big win where they were without Davis’ services for most of the game.
There will also be another story playing out tonight. It’s no secret that Celtics fans seem to be infatuated with Davis, and he has been tied to the Celtics in the past as a possible free agency destination.
TV Schedule
Date: 12/10/18
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Channel: NBA TV
Boston Celtics Starting Lineup
[table “ldquo520rdquo” not found /]Celtics Analysis
Last time we wrote about the Celtics, words like mediocre were used to describe the Celtics surprising start to the season, considering the returns of both Irving and Hayward. Coach Brad Stevens seems to have the Celtics headed in the right direction, winning their last five and getting back into the conversation in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics’ last win over the Chicago Bulls announced their re-arrival. And sure, it was the Bulls, but it was the way Boston bullied Chicago in a 56-point shellacking. 133-77.
The Celtics 10-10 rut seems to be a thing of the past, and even in a game where they were without Al Horford and Aron Baynes, they got a big performance out of Daniel Theis, who finished with a 22 point, 10 rebound double-double.
The insertion of Marcus Smart in the starting lineup, although doesn’t always look good on paper, has continued paying dividends for the Celtics.
Celtics Quick Links: Celtics Starting Lineup, Celtics Roster, Celtics Depth Chart, Celtics Injuries, Celtics News, Celtics Schedule
New Orleans Pelicans Starting Lineup
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Pelicans Analysis
The Pelicans’ recent win over the Detroit Pistons got them back at the .500 mark in what has been an up-and-down season. There were definitely some positives to take away from the Pistons game, however. With Davis leaving the game early and then coming back late to play limited minutes, Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle stepped up to secure the win.
Holiday, who’s numbers have seemed to spike with the loss of Elfrid Payton, scored 37 points and Randle added 28.
Randle is having a career year in New Orleans and he’s been on a tear as of late, averaging 29.5 points per game in his last four games, which is about a 10 point increase to his season average.
Coach Alvin Gentry has shuffled his lineups quite a bit lately in hopes of finding some synergy amongst his starting five. One such move has been bringing E’Twaun Moore off the bench as he returned from a left tibial contusion. Moore has strengthened the second unit. While he’s still been able to score, he’s also taking on more of a role as a distributor. Against Dallas recently, he scored 17 points and handed out a season-high six assists.
Pelicans Quick Links: Pelicans Starting Lineup, Pelicans Roster, Pelicans Depth Chart, Pelicans Injuries, Pelicans News, Pelicans Schedule
Celtics vs. Pelicans Betting Odds
The Celtics are -6.5 favorites to extend their streak to six games as they host the Pelicans tonight.
They are 6-15-4 against the spread and 6-0-4 at home, while the Pelicans are 7-14-7 and 0-14-0 on the road.
Odds & Line Movement Links: Boston Celtics vs New Orleans Pelicans, Vegas Odds (All NBA Games Today)
Bet on Matchup
If you’re in Pennsylvania, you can bet on this matchup. Sports betting is legal in PA. Our top rated online sportsbook bonus offers can be found in our articles: Fanduel Sportsbook promo code, DraftKings Sportsbook promo code & Pointsbet promo code.
DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Picks
Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are stud picks for this game. Davis is projected for a big game tonight. He is $12,400 on FanDuel and projected for 57.7 points. Irving’s salary on FanDuel is $8,500 and he is projected for 42.65 points.
After his performance against Detroit, I’m expecting another solid game from Holiday tonight and he is the value pick for the Pelicans. He has eclipsed 30 points and had double figure assists twice in his last four games. His FanDuel salary of $9,100 is expected to net you 39.18 points.
Al Horford, who is expected to be back, is the value pick for the Celtics. Aside from Smart, Horford has also been a big part of why Boston is surging lately. Horford has rediscovered his three-point shot, and his crafty offensive game has given defenders fits this season. He is $6,600 on FanDuel and is projected for 31.66 points.
Find all of our Fanduel and Draftkings projections here: https://www.lineups.com/nba/nba-fantasy-basketball-projection.