The Boston Celtics were red-hot as they entered the All-Star break, winning six of their last seven games. They picked up where they left off after the hiatus as they began a four-game road trip with a 121-110 triumph over the Golden State Warriors.
Boston (36-19) attempts to continue its surge when it takes on the Los Angeles Lakers (34-21) at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
The Celtics have gone 12-4 since suffering back-to-back losses against the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers in mid-January. They now look to complete a sweep of the two-game season series after having trounced the Lakers 126-105 at home on Dec. 5.
Los Angeles also has been playing well of late, winning 10 of its last 15 contests. The Lakers edged the Los Angeles Clippers 125-122 on Friday in their return from the All-Star break.
There are 10 other games on Sunday’s NBA schedule, including a matchup between the Orlando Magic (29-26) and host Clippers (27-29) at 9 p.m. ET at the Intuit Dome. The Magic cruised past the Clippers 129-101 at home in November to end their four-game losing streak in the all-time series.
Meanwhile, the Warriors (29-27) hope to get on track when they host the Denver Nuggets (36-21) at 3:30 p.m. ET at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Golden State has lost back-to-back contests and eight of 12 since enjoying a four-game winning streak in mid-January.
More than 20 games are on Sunday’s college basketball slate, one of which is a Big Ten Conference clash that has Iowa (19-7) facing No. 24 Wisconsin (18-8) at 4 p.m. ET at the Kohl Center in Madison. The Hawkeyes are seeking their second straight victory against a ranked opponent after getting past No. 9 Nebraska 57-52 last Tuesday.
The Nuggets are 6.5-point favorites against the Warriors in the latest consensus NBA odds, while the Celtics are 1.5-point favorites against the Lakers. The Clippers are 2.5-point favorites over the Magic and Wisconsin is a 3.5-point favorite against Iowa.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Sunday, Feb. 22. All times Eastern
NBA best bets, where to watch
Nuggets at Warriors
Time: 3:30 p.m. | Location: San Francisco | TV: ABC | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Warriors +6.5 (-113) | Expert: Gui Santos Over 11.5 points (-123, PropBetGuy)
The Nuggets were edged by the Clippers 115-114 in their return from the All-Star break but rebounded the following night, demolishing the Portland Trail Blazers by 54 points. Denver set a franchise record for most points in a road game with 157 in that victory. The Warriors have suffered back-to-back losses, but the SportsLine Projection Model doesn’t believe they’ll get trounced like Portland did as they cover the spread in 62% of its simulations. Golden State’s Gui Santos is averaging only six points per game this season but has recorded at least 13 in seven of his last eight outings, and SportsLine props expert PropBetGuy (98-71, +1537 on his last 169 NBA player prop picks) likes the trend to continue. The 23-year-old forward faces a Denver defense that forces the action to secondary scorers and allows spot-up shots as the third-highest frequency in the league.
Celtics at Lakers
Time: 6:30 p.m. | Location: Los Angeles | TV: NBC | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Celtics -131 | Expert: Payton Pritchard Over 5.5 assists (-139, Larry Hartstein)
The Celtics are 18-10 on the road this season and have won three straight away from home. The Lakers were without both LeBron James and Luka Doncic in their 21-point loss at Boston earlier this season, but the SportsLine Projection Model doesn’t think their presence on Sunday will be enough as its simulations have the Celtics winning 70% of the time. Payton Pritchard, who is averaging 5.4 assists this campaign, registered six in the first meeting with the Lakers also had a half-dozen against the Warriors on Thursday. SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein thinks the 28-year-old guard will reach that total against a Lakers squad that is allowing the eighth-most assists (27.5) per contest this season.
Magic at Clippers
Time: 9 p.m. | Location: Inglewood, Cal. | TV: NBA TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Clippers -135
The Clippers will be looking to avenge their 28-point loss in Orlando and post their fifth victory in six meetings with the Magic. They’ll definitely be more rested for this matchup as they last played on Friday while Orlando is coming off a 113-110 double-overtime loss to the Suns in Phoenix on Saturday night. The SportsLine Projection Model has the Clippers winning in 72% of its simulations.
CBB best bets, where to watch
Iowa at No. 24 Wisconsin
Time: 4 p.m. | Location: Madison, Wisc. | TV: FS1 | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Over 147.5 (-109) | Expert: Wisconsin -2.5 (-110, Bruce Marshall)
The Hawkeyes are the top defensive team in the Big Ten and ninth in the nation as they are allowing an average of 64.4 points. However, they yielded 70 or more points in four consecutive games before holding Nebraska to 52 last time out. The Badgers are third on the conference in scoring at 83.1 points per contest despite their 69-point effort in last Tuesday’s loss to Ohio State and are 15th defensively in the 18-team Big Ten with an average of 76.0 points allowed. With all of that taken into account, the SportsLine Projection Model sees this matchup being an offensive battle as its simulations have the Over hitting well over 76% of the time. Wisconsin posted double-digit victories in each of its last two home games, and SportsLine expert Bruce Marshall feels the Badgers will at least cover the spread against Iowa.
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