I'm wagering on the Celtics to fail to cover as 17.5-point spread favorites on Monday in Charlotte. Boston HC Joe Mazulla used the C's two games vs. Atlanta as "practices" — his words — mixing his rotation and using different lineups to experiment ahead of the playoffs. As you might have heard, they lost both games straight-up. Treating regular season games like practices isn't exactly encouraging if you're considering laying the points, especially with Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis questionable to play tonight.

It won't surprise me if the Celtics stomp the Hornets, but there's good reason to believe their starters will rest most of the second half of this meaningless game. This line opened at 19 and has come down to 17 at most books. I'll absorb a little extra juice to get the half-point, as I see value in a wager on the Celtics to mess around too much to cover this large spread on Monday.