Boston at New Orleans

Boston just keeps ripping through the Western Conference as they now face their fourth straight tough road game against the Western's elite. They have already disposed of San Antonio, Houston and Dallas, playing good basketball. Can they make it four straight tongiht against New Orleans? While they are certainly capable, we think it's time their incredible run comes to an end. The Hornets are 26-10 at home this season and right now their defense is clicking, having held their last five opponents to 88.8 ppg on average. This is a team that has shown they are up for the challenge of facing the league's best top teams. They are 29-18 ATS as a favorite this season and 23-13 ATS at home. They shut down Houston last game and are 15-5 ATS the past two seasons after holding an opponent to 85 or fewer points. We also like the fist-half UNDER a lot here. We mentioned how the Hornet's defense is playing. Boston's has been tremendous all season long. They are 41-27 UNDER in the first half overall this season. They are also 20-11 UNDER off a road game and 11-1 UNDER off a division game this season. Finally, the Celts are 8-1 UNDER in the first half this season when facing an up-tempo team (83+ shots per game) on the road. This should be another playoff-intensity game which often spells UNDER. We'll back the Hornets and the UNDER in the first half.