NBA
Boston Celtics vs Portland Trailblazers Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction
Date: Wednesday 5th March 2025 Kick Off Time: 07.00 pm, ET Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts SportsBoom previews the NBA cross-conference match between the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trailblazers at TD Garden on Wednesday, 5th March 2025. The NBA season has been a roller-coaster with surprises from team performances and roster shake ups, leaving fans perplexed. After the All-star break that offered a much-needed breather, teams are back jostling for playoff positions. As NBA fans look to find the best value bets, we assess both teams and suggest enriching bets on this NBA game.
Kristaps Porzingis and Jabari Walker//Getty Images
The defending champions, the Boston Celtics, will host the Portland Trailblazers in their first meeting of the season, looking to gauge itself against an existing upcoming core that promises to be one of the most dynamic in the NBA.
The Celtics have cruised through the season so far, although they are facing championship hangover. They still have a great team that can move into the next gear as they prepare for a long playoff run with hopes of retaining their NBA title. They have a firm hold on second place in the Eastern Conference standings, and were it not for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder overshadowing them with their historical seasons, the Celtics would have been the best team in the NBA.
On the other hand, the Portland Trailblazers are having another losing season, although this time an exciting crop of young players are gaining much-needed experience and potential, developing into a team to watch in the upcoming seasons. They are 13th on the Western Conference standings with a 24-33 record to their name. Even though their chances of making the playoffs are bleak, this has not stopped them from competing in games. They have won six of their last ten games.
Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability
- Boston Celtics: 2/7 (1.29) – 77.78%
- Portland Trail Blazers: 5/2 (3.50) – 28.57%
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Head-to-Head Record
The Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers have played 124 games in the regular season with 75 victories for the Celtics and 49 for the Trail Blazers. These two teams have never met in the playoffs.
Over a recent five-game stretch, the Celtics have been utterly dominant, having claimed four victories while the Trailblazers only have one.
LAST FIVE MATCHES
| Season | Date | Result |
| 2023/2024 | April 7th 2024 | Boston Celtics 124-107 Portland Trailblazers |
| 2023/2024 | March 11th 2024 | Portland Trailblazers 99-121 Boston Celtics |
| 2022/2023 | March 17th 2023 | Portland Trailblazers 112-126 Boston Celtics |
| 2022/2023 | March 8th 2023 | Boston Celtics 115-93 Portland Trailblazers |
| 2021/2022 | January 21st 2022 | Boston Celtics 105-109 Portland Trailblazers |
Boston Celtics: Current Form – WWWWL
- Overall Record: 40-16
- Home Record: 17-10
- Away Record: 23-6
The Boston Celtics are having a quiet but dominant season in their pursuit of back-to-back NBA championships, but all that has gone under the radar due to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder taking much of the applause as they lead their respective conferences.
The Celtics have begun to turn it up a notch as they aim to secure a playoff berth in the coming weeks and position themselves for home court advantage. They boast championship experience and elite talent on their roster, as well as multiple weapons at their disposal, making them a matchup nightmare for many teams in the league.
However, they have performed better away from home than at the TD Garden, a worrying trend considering they were absolutely dominant in front of their adoring and raucous fans last season. Jason Tatum is once again among the MVP conversations within the league, while leading his team in points per game, steals, rebounds and assists. Although Jaylen Brown has been quiet, he is still capable of a virtuoso performance if need be.
The roster is settling in together as key pieces are integrated into the lineup but they have to sort out their ballooning three-point attempts that are becoming boring to NBA fans when the ball fails to go into the basket. The Celtics will be banking on home court as they look to prolong their current four-game winning streak against the Portland Trailblazers.
Jaylen Brown and Rayan Rupert//Getty Images
Key Players to Watch
- Jason Tatum: Jason Tatum is a player on fire. One of the best players in the league, Tatum has taken his game a notch higher, improving his rebounding output while becoming one of the league’s best two players and is poised for another 1st Team all NBA selection if he keeps this trajectory up.
- Jaylen Brown: Jaylen Brown still finds ways to dominate even if his statistical averages don’t show this as the case. Brown is an elite defender and offers the Celtics another play route with his post and mid-rage game if the team’s threes aren’t falling.
- Kristaps Porziņģis: Kristaps Porziņģis is fit and the Celtics are playing beautiful team basketball as a result. Porziņģis offers the Celtics size down low and makes the team’s play unpredictable, since he is a marksman from all scoring areas on the court.
Boston Celtics Team News
The Celtics will be without Xavier Tillman who is recovering from a knee injury.
Portland Trailblazers: Current Form – WLLLL
- Overall Record: 22-33
- Home Record: 16-14
- Away Record: 8-19
There is nothing to write about the Portland Trailblazers’ season so far, apart from their continued player development of their young core, which has been tremendous. They possess some rough gems that will only get better with proper coaching and exposure to valuable game time.
Portland is not big market in the NBA. They are a medium market so it’s hard for superstars to have them on their bucket list for potential destination, but they can build potential stars from within their organization, as they are projected to be a lottery team at seasons end.
Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons are a promising backcourt duo. This season, they are first and second respectively as the team’s leading scorers. Veteran forward Jerami Grant is a solid contributor from the power forward position.
Deandre Ayton is a nightly double-double machine from the center position and Toumani Camara is developing into a proper defender. Second year prospect Scoot Henderson is leading the team’s assist chart from the bench and Deni Avdija is developing into a promising scorer. Rookie Donovan Clingan is solidly developing as the backup center and he tops the team’s block chart.
The Trailblazers are not expected to be contenders and a playoff berth seems to be beyond their grasp, but fixtures such as this against elite teams will offer the team’s youthful core valuable experience.
Key Players to Watch
- Anfernee Simons: Anfernee Simons is slowly becoming a consistent scorer and playmaker. He leads the team in scoring with 18.5 points per game and his production will be crucial if the Trailblazers are to have any chance against the Celtics.
- Jerami Grant: Jerami Grant is the team’s veteran leader and a link to the Blazer’s culture from previous teams that were contending. He will need to be on his game, especially considering he is up against elite superstar wing forwards against the Celtics.
- Scoot Henderson: Scoot Henderson will need to offer points and assists in bunches off the bench. His positive development will be on showcase and he will be required to match the energy of the Celtics bench which is one of the best in the NBA.
Portland Trailblazers Team News
Robert Williams III will miss the game against his former team due to a knee injury and staring center Deandre Ayton will be an absentee after been diagnosed with a left calf strain, that will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Predicted Lineups
Boston Celtics Lineup
- Point Guard: Derrick White
- Shooting Guard: Jrue Holiday
- Small Forward: Jaylen Brown
- Power Forward: Jayson Tatum
- Center: Kristaps Porzingis
Portland Trailblazers Lineup
- Point Guard: Anfernee Simons
- Shooting Guard: Shaedon Sharpe
- Small Forward: Deni Avdija
- Power Forward: Jerami Grant
- Center: Donovan Clingan
Value Bets
Jason Tatum – To Score Over 22.5 Points: Jason is currently on a good form, hence achieving this target will be seamless to him.
Kristaps Porzingis – To Score Over 18.5 Points: The Trailblazers are lacking their two premier centers in Robert Williams III and Deandre Ayton. Porzingis will most likely have a field day schooling rookie center Donovan Clingan.
Prediction: Boston Celtics to Win
The Trailblazers are an awful away team, while the Celtics are clearly superior in every matchup on the court, which will give them an upper hand in this game, barring any lackadaisical approach.
Ian Mugo Wanyeki is based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is a sports enthusiast with vast knowledge of different sport disciplines. Ian is a graduate with a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Kenyatta University. He is a Kenyan journalist who’s worked as a sports analyst at Covenant Television Network, as a sports reporter at NTV and as a Sports Correspondent/contributor at Quartz Africa.
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