Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Clippers 2/5/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Matchup Preview

Boston is in the midst of a west coast trip and after a bad loss to the Kings, they will look to rebound against one of the best teams in the league. The Clippers are second in the west, just a half-game behind the Jazz. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have led the way as expected, but the same can be said for Boston with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. It will be a battle of duos, but it could be a secondary name that makes the difference. After a hot start to the season, Boston has been playing middling basketball, winning just four of their last six games. However, most of the East is in a log jam and the same goes for the West. Los Angeles is playing well, going 8-2 in the last ten games. The Clippers are averaging 155 points per game and holding teams to 107. Los Angeles is heavy favorites tonight as oddsmakers view them as a truly top team in the league giving them this spread over a decent Boston team. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Clippers Matchup Page.

TV Schedule

Date: 2/5/21
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Arena: STAPLES Center – Los Angeles, CA
Channel: ESPN

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Celtics Starting 5

PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Daniel Theis
C: Tristan Thompson

Celtics Analysis

Boston has had an up and down start to the year and it revolves around them not getting production from a third option. Kemba Walker has been back, playing 25 minutes a gam, but is shooting 36% from the field and 30% from three, yet taking seven attempts per game. Marcus Smart isn’t providing much better shooting numbers so there is an issue right now in Boston and it lies in the backcourt. Jaylen Brown has really exploded, averaging 26-5-3 this season with 1.3 steals per game. Brown will be a well-deserved all-star as will Jayson Tatum who is averaging 26-7-4 on the year. Both are shooting over 47% from the field this season. We should see the Celtics use their bigs a bit more in this game and Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson have both chipped in with some solid games this season.

Clippers Starting 5

PG: Reggie Jackson
SG: Paul George
SF: Kawhi Leonard
PF: Nicolas Batum
C: Serge Ibaka

Clippers Analysis

Boston will have their hands full with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the defensive side. Overall the Clippers defense has been excellent. Opponents are shooting just 36% from three and 46% from the field. Los Angeles is going to make it tough on the Boston shooters, which mainly are Brown and Tatum. Leonard and George are both averaging over 24 points per game this season, and shooting over 50% from the field and 40% from three. Those are just outstanding numbers from a duo. Nicolas Batum and Serge Ibaka are next in line when it comes to scoring among the starters. However, the backcourt is an issue with Luke Kennard not doing much and Reggie Jackson filling in for Patrick Beverley, who is out due to an injury. Lou Williams has struggled with his shot, which isn’t ideal for the 6th man. He is shooting just 39% from the field and 38% from three this year.

Celtics & Clippers DFS Angle

There are nine games tonight and plenty of value will open up that are a lot better than the value options from this game. Both of these teams are centered around two players. For Boston, it is Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown. Tatum projects for 49 fantasy points tonight and has a 31% usage rate. The matchups won’t be too appealing when you look at DvP numbers for either side, but what you are looking at here is the high usage rate and upside. Kawhi Leonard is in that same boat and has a ceiling of over 50 fantasy points in the last ten games. We usually get on and off George play but the shooting has been tremendous, as he is over 50% in the last ten games. George projects for the fourth-most fantasy points at the position. Kemba Walker’s price has dropped across the industry, but deservingly so. However, he still has a 35+ fantasy point ceiling which is worth a look in GPPs.

Celtics vs. Clippers Betting Odds

Clippers Spread: -6.5
Clippers Moneyline: -266
Celtics Spread: +6.5
Celtics Moneyline: +215
Over/Under Points Total: 220

The Clippers have been dominant this season going 17-6 but also 14-9 ATS. The Celtics are 11-9 ATS and 5-7 on the road. These have generally been higher scoring games over the last few, where the average score has been 246 combined points. The Clippers are 2-1 in the last three against Boston. There shouldn’t be any injuries that affect this one, as Kemba Walker is probable and Brown as well. For Boston, a lot rides on what Kemba Walker shows up. We have to give the edge to George and Leonard of course who will likely outperform Tatum and Brown. The Clippers do lack a secondary option outside of the big two but the Clippers will likely need some collective scoring to pull away. I like Boston to cover in this spot, I think we see a real battle and these games have historically been close.