Easter Bunny brings it for Easter Sunday in NBA

Four teams very familiar with one another are set to face off against each other in NBA action this Easter Sunday. Cleveland has all but wrapped up the league’s best record and wants to continue playing well headed into the playoffs. They will face Boston who is search of finding their way. Immediately following, the surging San Antonio Spurs try to lasso the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. Enjoy the Easter ham, enjoy the games.

Cleveland at Boston 1:00E ABC

The Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics (47-28, 30-43-2 ATS) close out a six-game homestand which has been dismal to say the least. Having won nine of 13 games coming off a three game road trip, Boston started an extended stay at home dumping Denver by 14 points and secured a non-cover win over Sacramento by eight as 11-point favorites.

Last Sunday the Celtics were in position to prove they had gotten over three month slide of being incredibly ordinary, facing a hot San Antonio team and they were vanquished 94-73 by the Spurs. That loss must have left an emotional scar or Boston really isn’t anything but average, losing games to Oklahoma City and Houston on their own floor since, which left their coach to say this after Rockets defeat.

"There are so many things I could point out, but I won't," Doc Rivers said. "We played like a high school team at times, as far as the way our thought process was."

The C’s are just 23-15 at home, with a pediculous spread record of 11-26-1 ATS. Chances are this is not their last home loss.

In comes Cleveland with the best record in the NBA at 60-16 (37-37-2 ATS), having won 17 of 19 (10-8-1 ATS) since Feb. 21 and in high gear heading towards the playoffs. The Cavaliers almost traded J.J. Hickson to Phoenix and right now they are thrilled they did not. Coach Mike Brown is defensive-minded and gets wacky when his team doesn’t perform on that end of the floor.

Lately, he has used Hickson as defensive stopper late in games and he has come through, grabbing career-high 16 rebounds on Friday in the Cavaliers win over Atlanta and working a trap with Jamario Moon on Milwaukee’s John Salmons that forced key turnover to help preserve victory earlier in the week. Cleveland is 26-12 and 21-16-1 ATS outside of Ohio.

DiamondSportsbook.com has Cleveland as 1.5-point road favorites with total of 193.5 on this Easter Sunday clash and the Cavs are 12-5 ATS on this day of the week and 6-2 UNDER in last eight games. Boston is proving more and more they can’t compete with the better teams and are 7-18-1 ATS if the opponent has record of .600 or higher. The Celtics are 29-11 OVER off a loss.

The favorite in this matchup is 5-1 ATS and the previous five contests in Boston are 4-1 OVER.

San Antonio at L.A. Lakers 3:30E ABC

Despite trying circumstances, San Antonio (46-29, 39-35-1 ATS) has flourished. Playing without Tony Parker, other players like Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan missing a game here and there and schedule back-loaded with games, the Spurs have managed to win 15 of last 20 (14-6 ATS). San Antonio is in seventh spot in the hostile Western Conference, but is only one loss behind Oklahoma City and two behind Denver and Utah, and can move up possibly if they continue to win.

Off the 112-100 triumph over Orlando, the Spurs are 9-1 ATS after crossing the century mark.
The Lakers (55-21, 32-42-2 ATS) have not played very good basketball, with an 8-6 (5-9 ATS) record since Mar. 4, before facing Utah two days ago. The Jazz bring out the best in Los Angeles, as Kobe Bryant and teammates handed Utah their eighth straight loss at the Staples Center 106-92 as 4.5-point favorites.

L.A. has played almost arrogantly bored of late, more going thru the motions waiting for the playoffs to begin, however playing against other quality teams like Utah in the West brought back the intensity and it will be interesting to see if they play with same passion against the Spurs. The Lakers haven’t covered back to back games since Feb. 6-10, when they did so three consecutive times.

The Lakers are a six-point favorite with total of 194, but are just 3-9 ATS on previous dozen home tilts and are 20-7-1 UNDER off a win by double digits. San Antonio is perfect against the number if their opponent scored 100 or more points in last contest at 8-0 ATS and is 10-4-1 UNDER on Sunday’s.

The Lakers are on 7-1 ATS run against the Greg Popovich’s Spurs and the UNDER is 5-0 in L.A.