The Boston Celtics are on the road to take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night in a non-conference NBA matchup inside the Moda Center. The Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference with a 48-22 this season and are coming off a 104-102 road win on Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Trail Blazers are trying to get into the play-in tournament with a 31-38 record, which is tenth in the Western Conference. They are riding a four-game losing streak after a 123-107 home loss on Tuesday against the New York Knicks. These teams are facing off for the final time in the regular season as they played back on March 9, with the Boston Celtics picking a comfortable 115-93 win.
Match Details
Fixture: Boston Celtics @ Portland Trail Blazers
Date and Time: Friday, March 17, 2023, 10:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Boston Celtics vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Betting Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
| Boston Celtics | -190 | -4.5 (-110) | Over 230.5 (-110) |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +158 | +4.5 (-110) | Under 230.5 (-110) |
Injury Report
Boston
| Danilo Gallinari | OUT | Left ACL Tear |
| Payton Pritchard | OUT | Left Heel Pain |
| Robert Williams III | OUT | Left Hamstring Strain |
| Jayson Tatum | Questionable | Left Hip Contusion |
Portland
| Damian Lillard | Probable | Right Calf Tightness |
| Ibou Badji | OUT | Left Knee Surgery |
| Jerami Grant | Questionable | Left Quad Contusion |
| Justise Winslow | OUT | Left Ankle Sprain |
Starting 5’s
Boston: PG Marcus Smart, SG Derrick White, SF Jaylen Brown, PF Jayson Tatum, C Al Horford
Portland: PG Damian Lillard, SG Anfernee Simons, SF Matisse Thybulle, PF Jerami Grant, C Jusuf Nurkic
Boston Celtics vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Game Prediction
The Boston Celtics have been a dominant team throughout the season but are in the midst of a struggle as they keep losing to inferior opponents. Boston is doing extremely well on the offensive side of things, as they are fourth in the NBA with 117.5 points per game up to this point. They are leaning on small forward Jayson Tatum’s production as he is competing at an MVP level this year with 30.1 points, nine rebounds, 4.7 assists, one steal and 0.8 blocks per game thus far. They also have shooting guard Jaylen Brown producing 26.8 points per game to make things much better going forward as they try to dominate. This Boston team has a lot of NBA playoff experience as they came off an Eastern Conference Finals win.
The Portland Trail Blazers have been trying to build a contender in a brutal Western Conference team as they are trying to lock into the play-in tournament. They will depend on point guard Damian Lillard as he is third in the sport with 32.3 points and 7.3 assists per game, which is 11th in the NBA right now. He has been an electric player, averaging 36.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.1 steals in his last nine games. Outside of Lillard, the Blazers will need some more ancillary pieces to take a step up as they will be taking on one of the best teams in the entire NBA.
Diving into the ATS records for both teams this season, they are both similar as the Celtics are 36-33-1 ATS while the Trail Blazers are 33-35-1 ATS thus far. Boston is doing exceptionally well on the road in this matchup, as they are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 road games against the Trail Blazers. The Celtics are the far and away more talented team, so go with the Boston Celtics to win by more than a handful of points in this game.
