Boston lost at home to Sacramento, which we didn't expect. They didn't even score a hundred points. Now, the reigning champions will take on New Orleans, the worst team in the Western Conference, at TD Garden. Can the Celtics make a comeback with a big win? We've got a prediction and a few bets on the game for you.

Boston

The previous match against Sacramento was one of the worst for the Celtics this season. Joe Mazzulla fielded the best possible lineup, but still couldn't even reach the hundred-point mark. Boston only managed to convert 48.5% of their shots, made only 22 assists, and lost 43-56 on the boards.In the end, they were defeated by a double-digit score difference - 97:114.

The reigning champs have now racked up 11 defeats, with 27 victories. But they're still 6.5 wins behind the top team in the Eastern Conference, which is Cleveland. If the Celtics want to have home-court advantage in a potential playoff series against the Cavs, they need to start closing that gap now.

New Orleans

The Pelicans aren't looking for any playoff series at the moment. Willie Green's team, which a lot of analysts thought would be in the conference finals initially, is actually last in the West with a balance of 8-31. The Pelicans are only 11.5 wins away from the top-10, the play-in zone.

But they did win last game, 123:115, on the road against Philadelphia, who are fighting for the top 10 in the East. C.J. McCollum scored 38 points, and Zion Williamson didn't play again. Also, the Pelicans lost one of their best defenders, Trey Murphy, to injury.

H2H Meetings

So, Boston has beaten New Orleans in all six games in the last three regular seasons. Last season, the Celtics beat the Pelicans 118:112 at home and 104:92 away.

Stats Betting

• If you fancy Boston to win another game over New Orleans, the odds are 1.088 at 1xbet.
• In 8 out of 9 previous meetings with the Pelicans, Boston did not reach the individual total of 120 points. We bet on IT1U (122.5) at odds of 1.90 at 1xbet.
• In four away matches in a row, New Orleans scored more than 106 points. We bet on IT2O (107.5) at 1.90 at 1xbet.
• The total of 225 points was reached in 3 of the last 4 face-to-face meetings. We bet on TO (225.5) at odds of 1.571 at 1xbet.

Expert Betting Tips

Boston's potential is huge, and after losing, the Celtics tend to have strong matches. They recently beat Toronto by the largest margin ever after losing to Indiana, and we're expecting something similar in this game. We're betting on Boston to defeat New Orleans and also expect Joe Mazzulla's team to reach the individual total. The Celtics are still one of the best teams when it comes to offensive efficiency. After not even getting to a hundred points in their game against Sacramento, it's likely their stats will improve now. We're betting on Boston to win in assists.