San Antonio Spurs vs. Boston Celtics 12/31/18: Starting Lineups, Matchup Breakdown, Odds, Daily Fantasy, Betting
San Antonio Spurs vs. Boston Celtics Preview
The comfy confines of the AT&T Center have been kind to the San Antonio Spurs (20-17), but they’ll be tested tonight with the Boston Celtics (21-14) coming into town.
This interconference matchup on New Year’s Eve will be the first time the Spurs and Celtics have met this season. The Spurs just got by the Celtics the last time these two times faced off, with LaMarcus Aldridge leading San Antonio with 27 points, the Spurs won 105-102 even with Kyrie Irving going off for 36 points.
This is most certainly a different team Boston will be seeing as last year at this time, the Spurs still had Kawhi Leonard on the roster.
The Celtics enter tonight’s game having won their last game, and six of the last 10. San Antonio also won their last game in a 122-111 drubbing of the Los Angeles Clippers on the road.
TV Schedule
Date: 12/31/18
Time: 7:00pm ET
Arena: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
Channel: NBA TV
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
| Position | Starter |
|---|---|
| PG | Derrick White |
| SG | Bryn Forbes |
| SF | DeMar DeRozan |
| PF | LaMarcus Aldridge |
| C | Jakob Poeltl |
Spurs Analysis
San Antonio has lost just five games at home this season, but they’ll be tested tonight against one of the better defensive units in the league.
The Spurs have won seven of their last 10 games, including splitting a home-and-home series with the top-ranked Denver Nuggets.
LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan looked unstoppable in their most recent win, a 122-111 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Aldridge had his way with the Clippers bigs to the tune of 38 points and seven rebounds.
DeMar DeRozan also put on a show in his hometown, finishing with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. Point guard Derrick White also looked impressive and poised, dropping 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Spurs Quick Links: Spurs Starting Lineup, Spurs Roster, Spurs Depth Chart, Spurs Injuries, Spurs News, Spurs Schedule
Boston Celtics Starting Lineup
| Position | Starter |
|---|---|
| PG | Kyrie Irving |
| SG | Marcus Smart |
| SF | Jayson Tatum |
| PF | Marcus Morris |
| C | Al Horford |
Contents
Celtics Analysis
The Celtics have been a bit of a mixed bag recently. They followed an impressive 121-114 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers by getting blown out by the Houston Rockets.
As good as the Celtics are defensively they have had their issues getting consistent performances from their second unit. They got a bit more help on Saturday in their 112-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Kyrie Irving had a 26 point, 13 assist night in leading the Celtics. Marcus Morris, Al Horford, and Gordon Hayward all finished with 14 or more points, but Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier, and Jayson Tatum all continued to struggle.
Look for Irving to try to make an impact right away against a smaller backcourt.
Celtics Quick Links: Celtics Starting Lineup, Celtics Roster, Celtics Depth Chart, Celtics Injuries, Celtics News, Celtics Schedule
San Antonio Spurs vs. Boston Celtics Betting Odds
The Celtics have a slight edge on the spread. They are -1.5 favorites to steal one on the Spurs’ home court. The over/under is 218 points. The moneyline opened at -115 for Boston and is live at -125.
Boston is 86-74 on the road and 158-65 as the favorite. Winning in San Antonio has proven to be a challenge as the Spurs are 125-30 for a whopping 80.6 win percentage, however, they are 23-46 as the underdog.
Odds & Line Movement Links: San Antonio Spurs vs. Boston Celtics, Vegas Odds (All NBA Games Today)
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DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Picks
DeMar DeRozan ($9k) and Kyrie Irving ($9.4k) are fantasy studs for this matchup in the Alamo City. DeRozan is coming off a dream fantasy game and he is projected for 39.51 tonight. Irving has a slightly higher projection with 41.7 points on FanDuel.
Marcus Morris ($6k) and Bryn Forbes ($4.4k) could prove to be major fantasy values tonight. Morris is coming off a nice performance against Memphis, and FanDuel has him pegged for 25.63 points. Forbes seems to be a regular double-figure contributor for San Antonio. He is projected to finish with 23.7 points. Also keep an eye on Derrick White, who seems more and more comfortable starting at the point for the Spurs.
Find all of our Fanduel and Draftkings projections here: https://www.lineups.com/nba/nba-fantasy-basketball-projections.
