Celtics vs. Blazers odds, line: NBA picks, predictions from model on 46-32 roll

Teams battling for home court advantage in the NBA playoffs face off on Wednesday night when the Boston Celtics host the Portland Trail Blazers at 8 p.m. ET. Boston is in fifth place in the East, just behind the 76ers and Pacers, while Portland is the No. 4 team in the West as it tries to hold off the Rockets. The Trail Blazers beat the Celtics 100-94 in Portland, but that was in November. Boston is favored by 2.5 points in the latest Celtics vs. Blazers odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 226. Before making any Celtics vs. Blazers picks of your own, check out the NBA predictions from SportsLine’s proven projection model.

This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, is crushing its NBA picks. It entered Week 20 of the 2018-19 NBA season with a sterling 222-169 record on all top-rated picks, returning more than $4,000 to anybody following them. And it has been particularly red-hot on its A-rated NBA picks against the spread, entering Week 20 on a blistering 46-32 run. Anybody who has followed it is way up.

Now the model has dialed in on Celtics vs. Blazers. We can tell you it is leaning under, but it’s also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. That one is available exclusively at SportsLine.

The computer knows that when the Celtics win, they win big. Boston’s 6.0 ppg differential ranks behind only the Bucks and Warriors. And in home games, that number explodes to 9.6. Kyrie Irving, averaging 23.8 ppg, will have his hands full against Blazers star Damian Lillard, but the latter will have his hands full, too. If those two negate each other, the Celtics have five other players averaging in double-figures, while the Blazers only have three.

Boston is a solid 19-12 against the spread at home this season, including 19-10 when favored, the fourth-best percentage in the NBA. Portland, meanwhile, is just 7-12 against the number as a road underdog, and only the Grizzlies and Wizards are worse.

But just because Boston has been dominant at home doesn’t guarantee it will cover the Celtics vs. Blazers spread. 

The model also knows the Blazers are 34-26 against the spread this season, the fourth-best mark in the NBA. Conversely, Boston is 3-6 in the second game of back-to-backs and is coming off a Tuesday night loss at Toronto.

The Blazers are coming in hot, too, having won four in a row, all by double-figures, including a 22-point home win over the Warriors and a 15-point handling of the Sixers in Philly. Lillard is averaging 20 points per game in his past four, well below his season average of 25.8. But he’s adding 8.0 assists per game, well above his season average. He had 12 against the Celtics in November.

Who wins Blazers vs. Celtics? And which side of the spread can you bank on in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Trail Blazers vs. Celtics spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $4,000 on its NBA picks this season, and find out.