The Celtics are leading the Eastern Conference 21-7 this year. With Jayson Tatum only being in the league for five years, it feels like he has been there ten while putting the Celtics back on track in recent years. They also have multiple stars that are able to help out Tatum, but they do not have the stars like the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers have so many stars this year but have not been able to get anything rolling. They have started the season with a record of 11-15, and they are not looking like they will be able to turn the tables around anytime soon. LeBron James, while still leading his team, is showing some signs of not being able to take over games like he used to do.
Boston is listed at -3.5 over Los Angeles.
Boston Celtics Preview
The Celtics are coming off a bad loss to the Clippers, but they have had eight wins in their last ten games and will not be stopping there.
With Jayson Tatum being the star of the team, he has not let any of his teammates down this year. Tatum is almost averaging a double-double each game with 30 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game.
In the past few games, Tatum has not shot the ball well, and many people believe this is a little slump that he will shoot out of soon. Tatum has a lot of help with Griffin, Smart, and Brown. Brown is another impactful player for the Celtics, averaging 26.8 points per game and 7.2 rebounds.
With Brown and Tatum together averaging over 50 points a game together helps their teammates by allowing more shots around the court. The Celtics are having a great season, and that is giving a huge boost of confidence. With the playoffs rolling around, they know they have the tools to beat anyone in the league.
Los Angeles Lakers Preview
The Lakers continue to struggle; there are not many positive comments for the Lakers this year.
You would think with the caliber of players the Lakers have on their team; they would be in the driver’s seat with a winning record. That is far from the truth, and it looks as if James has not helped out much this season.
James has started off slow this season, only averaging 26.2 points per game and adding on 8.6 rebounds. Many people would say that James averaging 26.2 points would be huge for the team, but it obviously has not worked for the Lakers.
The Lakers only have two players averaging over 20 points which is hard to compete if there are only two guys. The Lakers do have the tools to turn it around later down the stretch, which should happen with the players they have.
Celtics/Lakers Betting Prediction
I believe this should be an easy prediction today. With the Celtics coming off a hard loss to the Warriors and having great team chemistry, they have my pick all the way.
I do not believe in the Lakers right now. They will indeed be at home, but that will not affect the Celtics tonight. The over/under of this game is at 233, and the Lakers being at home calls for betting the over.
The Celtics will score as many as they need to win the game, and the Lakers love high-scoring games. Boston -3.5 is the pick to play for this one.
