NBA Cup Semifinals Preview: Celtics' Big Night Ahead

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00:00Live right here on the early line on Sports Grid, we go around the association on this

00:10Thursday following two consecutive nights of two games in the NBA Cup in the quarterfinal

00:17round now with semifinal Saturday in Sin City on the horizon.

00:22You would think DRS after a ton of NBA Cup action the last few weeks, group play nights

00:27on Tuesdays and Fridays, a quarterfinal doubleheader day on both Tuesday and Wednesday that those

00:33teams not on to the knockout round, who did not advance past the group stage, a ton of

00:38them would play today.

00:40No, in fact, only three games in the association on this Thursday, a slew, and I mean a ton

00:48of games on a Friday in the NBA.

00:52Let's start in the NBA with the favorites still, that being the Boston Celtics, who

00:57were the favorites to win the NBA Cup, did not advance out of the group stage after the

01:02upset to the Atlanta Hawks, who of course are on to the semis.

01:06But Boston back at home tonight and as a hefty favorite, laying 12.5 points against the Detroit

01:11Pistons.

01:12What do you like?

01:13Yeah, Fandu opened up this one as a 14-point favorite for Boston, now it's trickled down

01:17to 12.5.

01:18And it's not a really overwhelming public favorite on either side, 55, 56% of the tickets

01:23coming in at Fandu here for the side of the Boston Celtics.

01:26I tend to go that route.

01:27If you're just looking at the starting lineup, and also we always like to use that term rested

01:31and ready.

01:32The Boston Celtics should be that tonight, Drew Holliday, Derek White, Jalen Brown, Jason

01:35Tatum, and Kristaps Porzingis in that lineup tonight.

01:38And then we know how deep that bench is and the three-point capabilities that they have.

01:42I think the Pistons are a quality team and it is hard to win in the NBA by double digits

01:46or more, but tonight I'm going to back the Boston Celtics.

01:48I'll lay the double digits and figure they win by close to two touchdowns.

01:52DRS in these games this year for the Celtics, they have been booked as a favorite in 23

01:59of 24.

02:00They are still 19-5 straight up.

02:03They have the second best record in the Eastern Conference, only behind the Cavaliers.

02:08Just because they were not thriving in the in-season competition does not mean that Boston

02:12is still not the expected Eastern Conference favorite and NBA champion to potentially go

02:19back to back.

02:20Again, favorite in 23 of 24.

02:22Just 9-14 against the number as the favorite side this year, but even more importantly,

02:28a double-digit favorite, Donny, in 13 of the 23 games this year as just the favorite.

02:35They are 5-8 against the spread as a double-digit favorite so far this season.

02:41Detroit still figuring things out, even after the dismissal of Monte Williams a season ago,

02:4710-15 if the season ended today.

02:49It does not.

02:50They would be on the outside looking in of the Eastern Conference play in tournament,

02:55but the two teams they would be looking up at, Indiana and Chicago, also 10-15.

03:01The Pistons do have a little bit of life in the Eastern Conference.

03:04Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, we've got the Miami Heat hosting the Toronto Raptors

03:10tonight.

03:11Of course, it's been an interesting week in South Beach as a lot of trade speculation

03:15has been floated around a long-time member of this Heat organization, Jimmy Butler.

03:2210.5 points spread tonight, DRS, in favor of Miami as they welcome in the Raptors.

03:28Toronto is not a great team outright, but they've been booked as a favorite basically

03:32in every single game this year, and they are keeping games close.

03:37Can they stay within this 10.5 point margin tonight in South Florida?

03:40Yeah, I think we might get three blowouts tonight here and also take a look at the home

03:44team to get a little bit of that Miami flu.

03:46You know, Toronto probably flew in a day or two before, got to enjoy that South Beach

03:50atmosphere, hit a couple clubs, and also, Scotty Barnes not projected to be in the starting

03:53lineup.

03:54Why?

03:55Because he's injured.

03:56He's going to be out for several weeks here.

03:57Mitchell, Dick, Barrett, Ogbaje, and Pirtle in the starting lineup for the Raptors tonight.

04:01Hero, Duncan, Butler, Highsmith, and Adebayo is what the anticipation is.

04:04I'm interested to see what we get out of Jimmy Butler tonight, too, because is this one of

04:07those, I need to showcase that I'm legitimate so I get another team to bite where I want

04:11to go, or is it the Jimmy Butler?

04:14We don't necessarily want to overuse you and get you injured so we can't trade you.

04:18That's an interesting one if you're looking at it from a prop perspective for me, but

04:20I do think Miami Heat probably in the driver's seat, a double-digit win.

04:24I'll go with another easy victory like I had with the Boston Celtics earlier.

04:27Again, the Raptors are not a great basketball team outright.

04:31They are just 7-18, but they have been booked as a dog in all 25 contests this year, and

04:38they are 17-8 against the number.

04:41They are one of two teams alongside the Nets that have been booked as an underdog 20-plus

04:47times this season, and have covered more than 65% of their games.

04:52Miami has won three straight, the Heat now two games above .500 at 12-10, and yet might

04:58be making some very significant changes to their roster and organization if they do decide

05:04to send on Jimmy Butler.

05:07Let's go to the big easy tonight as well to round out the triple-header.

05:10The Pells, a home underdog as you would probably expect against the Sacramento Kings.

05:15That line now 7 in favor of Sacramento on the road in New Orleans, 231.5 is the total.

05:23Donnie, are you agreeing with the line movement on the FanDuel Sportsbook?

05:26Yes, I am, and once a month, usually the Pelicans get a victory.

05:30I think they already used that up, and by the way, I did pick them last time they took

05:33on the Suns at home outright to win that game, and they did.

05:36Then they lost by double digits, then lost by the Spurs.

05:38They're going to get hammered again tonight because you have one team that's rested and

05:41ready, one team that's dead in the water.

05:43I agree.

05:44That 5.5 to 7, we should be looking at a road victory for the Kings of at least double digits

05:49tonight.

05:50They're intact in their starting lineup, and you know who's not intact in their starting

05:52lineup?

05:53It's the Pelicans, and they stink.

05:54No juice tonight for them.

05:55We're going to go with the Kings.

05:575-20 is the record for the Pelicans this season.

06:02Of course, it has been a dismal year already in New Orleans, even with the acquisition

06:07of DeJounte Murray.

06:09Zion Williamson has not been healthy.

06:11Murray was out for a long time.

06:13Brennan Ingram now sidelined indefinitely once again.

06:17It's just a disaster.

06:18They have been booked as an underdog in 19 of 25 games.

06:23They are 8-11 against the spread, a little bit better covering numbers than they are

06:27in winning games outright, but it's not been a recipe for success.

06:32Sacramento, meanwhile, 12-13 this year, DRS, and we are starting to already see this for

06:37them very early on this season.

06:39In the first month and a half of this NBA campaign, there was about four teams that

06:44were above .500 in the Eastern Conference.

06:47Right now, there are seven teams above .500 in the Eastern Conference, but you've got

06:53everybody else, eight of the 15, four games below .500 or worse.

06:58There are only three teams that are below two games below .500 in the Western Conference,

07:05so the Kings, only a game below .500, trying to get back to that even number.

07:10Right now, they're not even sniffing to play in tournament because of how deep the Western

07:14Conference in this year and how weak the Eastern Conference is this season.

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