NBA Picks – Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers

The two most storied franchises in NBA history are the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Both the Celtics and the Lakers have won 17 NBA titles, and the next closest franchise is the Golden State Warriors with seven championships. The Lakers tied the Celtics with 17 all-time titles in the bubble during the 2020 NBA Playoffs, but it certainly looks like the Celtics will be the team to break the tie. They won the Eastern Conference last year before falling to the Warriors in the NBA Finals, and the Celtics are one of the favorites to win it all by the NBA futures odds this year. As of Thursday afternoon, Boston has a three-game lead in the East, while the Los Angeles Lakers would currently miss the playoffs in the West with a 23-26 record.

This will be the second and final meeting between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers this season. The first meeting took place in mid-December, and the Celtics escaped with a four-point victory over the Lakers in overtime. The rematch will take place on Saturday, January 28, 2023, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook

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Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers Preview

It’s been a rough year for the Los Angeles Lakers. They are currently three games below .500, and they look set to miss the playoffs for the second straight season despite having three Hall of Famers in LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. That has led to an increasing amount of frustration from James as he went to LA with the idea of getting to rest when needed, but that hasn’t been the case.

Still, it’s all going to be roses the next couple weeks as LeBron is currently 158 points away from surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. James should be able to get to 40,000 career points too, putting some distance between himself and every other player in the league today. This is his 20^th season in the league, but he is still playing at an elite level, averaging 29.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 7.0 APG while making 50.7% of his field goals.

Three-point shooting has been a major issue for the Lakers this season. Los Angeles ranks 26^th in the league in three-point accuracy, hitting just 33.7% of their attempts from beyond the arc, as the three future Hall of Famers have all lost their shooting touch from distance. James is making just 30.4% of his threes, while Davis is making 29.4% of his threes, and Westbrook is making 28.6% of his treys.

For the first time in nine years, Davis came off the bench in Wednesday’s win over San Antonio. He finished the day with 21 points and 12 rebounds, and it will be interesting to see if he does start on Saturday. Davis played for the first time in a month and a half in the win over San Antonio, and the team needs him to stay healthy.

Boston’s Jayson Tatum continues to improve and is now one of the five best players in the league. Tatum is averaging 31.0 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 4.4 APG this season, and he is one of the contenders to be named NBA MVP per the NBA players futures odds.

Jaylen Brown is the second leading scorer on the team, averaging 26.9 PPG and 7.1 RPG. Brown is making 49.2% of his field goals, but he isn’t a great three-point shooter. Fortunately, Malcolm Brogdon has been lights out from beyond the arc this year, knocking down 45.5% of his threes after being acquired in free agency.

The Celtics are one of the most well-rounded teams in the NBA. They have an elite eight-man rotation, and that gives them a big advantage over most teams because they can go big or small pretty easily.

Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers Prediction

We’ll see some big numbers out of LeBron James in this game as he looks to move ever closer to Abdul-Jabbar. However, Boston will get more from their deep rotation to get the win.