Celtics vs. Clippers Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 29 (LA's Defense Shines in Exciting Road Upset)

Celtics vs. Clippers Game Info

• Date: Thursday, December 29, 2022
• Time: 7:30 PM ET
• Venue: TD Garden -- Boston, Massachusetts
• Coverage: NBA TV, NBCS-BOS, and BSSC

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Thursday with six more games, including a battle between the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics. The Clippers rank fourth in the Western Conference with an 21-15 record, while the Celtics check in first in the Eastern Conference with a 25-10 record.

LA enters as a victor in four of its last five games following a 124-113 win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Boston has responded to a three-game losing streak with a three-game winning streak that includes a 126-102 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Which team will win tonight?

Celtics vs. Clippers Odds & Spread

Celtics vs Clippers Betting Information

Favorite	Spread	Favorite Spread Odds	Underdog Spread Odds	Total	Over Total Odds	Under Total Odds	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline
Celtics	-6	-	-	227.5	-110	-110	-255	210

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: BOS: (-245) | LAC: (+200)
• Spread: BOS: -6.5 (-110) | LAC: +6.5 (-110)
• Total: 228 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Celtics enter this contest as notable home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 228 points, which is about average compared to Thursday's projected totals.

Celtics vs. Clippers Betting Trends

• The Celtics covered 43 times in 82 matchups with a spread last season.
• The Clippers went 10-8 as underdogs of 6 points or greater last year.
• A total of 41 Celtics games last season hit the over.
• Out of 82 Clippers games last season, 40 went over the total.

Celtics vs. Clippers Prediction & Pick

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown became the first pair of Boston teammates to each drop 38 points in a game since 1985 on Tuesday. It was a dominating effort, but both stars will have the be even better on Thursday night. The Clippers come to town boasting one of the best defenses in the entire league.

Los Angeles ranks fourth in defensive efficiency and is allowing only 108.6 points per game (No. 3 in NBA). The Clippers also give up an opponent three-point shooting percentage of just 34.1% (No. 4 in NBA), which is notable given how the long ball has taken over the sport. This defense is built to win.

The Clippers are 7-3 straight up in their last 10 games against the Celtics and I'll back them to pull off an upset at TD Garden.

Final Score Prediction: Celtics: 110 | Clippers: 113

Celtics vs. Clippers Best Bet

Bettors unwilling to back a +200 moneyline bet should feel much more comfortable shifting gears to the point spread here. After all, Los Angeles is 8-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last 10 games and 7-1 ATS in its last eight games against an Eastern Conference opponent. Those are some great trends.

Keep in mind the Celtic haven't beaten the Clippers by more than 6 points since February of 2020. It's also a feat that has been completed by Boston once in the last 10 head-to-head matchups between these contenders. This one could easily go down to the wire, so take the points with confidence.

Bet: Los Angeles Clippers +6.5 (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.