The two most successful teams meet

The two most successful NBA teams in history will meet at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. With 17 trophies each, two real heavyweights play against each other. Even if the present of both organisations differs somewhat from the successes of old, the duel between the Lakers and the Celtics is always special.

In the fourth-last game at the Staples Center, which will be called Crypto.com Arena for the next 20 years from 25.12, the Lakers are desperate to get back on the winning track. Especially the loss in the last city duel at the Staples Center against the Clippers made some critics sit up and take notice.

The Imps from Boston are playing a rather average season so far. Before the season, Dennis Schröder and Co. were expected to finish in the top six, which would guarantee a play-off spot. They are currently in seventh place behind teams like the Wizards and the Hornets and therefore cannot be satisfied with their points tally so far. Between the Lakers and the Celtic, the betting odds are therefore narrowly in favour of the team from Los Angeles.

LA Lakers – Statistics & current form

The most famous franchise in the NBA is always in the focus of the press. Before the season, the officials decided to enter the race for the championship (nothing less is at stake for the Lakers) with the oldest squad ever. After a little more than a quarter of the season, many critics see themselves vindicated. Split fifth place with an even win/loss statistic (twelve wins, twelve losses) in the comparatively weak West are cause for concern.

Aging Lebron James

Four-time champion and superstar Lebron James is again leaving many doubts about his fitness this season. Already last season it had become apparent that he is no longer the unbreakable over-athlete of days gone by. Again and again he is slowed down by various injuries. In the current season he has already missed twelve games. Last season, this was one of the reasons why they were already eliminated in the first play-off round against the Phoenix Suns.

After his altercation in the game against the Detroit Pistons, when he elbowed an opponent in the face and was subsequently suspended for one game, James was recently absent due to an alleged infection. After testing positive, the league sent him into quarantine. Several negative tests later, he was back on the floor in the city duel against the Clippers. The game was still lost. With 23 points and poor odds, the current second-best scorer of all time did not have an outstanding evening.

Is it enough for the playoffs

Despite the relatively weak season so far, the Lakers are still considered one of the main contenders for the title. One reason for this is the enormous experience in the team, which will come into play in the important games. In addition, given the talent level with Westbrook, Davis and of course LBJ, they still have one of the best trios in the league. Still, question marks remain given the health and support of those three.

Coach Frank Vogel’s team has significant problems at both ends of the field. With just under 107 points of their own per game, the Lakers are 22nd in overall offensive rating. Behind them, without exception, are teams with no title aspirations.

Even if things look a little better on the defensive side, it is still far from being a good record. 17th place in the defensive table is the result of over 108 points allowed per game on average. Last season, under the rather defensive-oriented coach Vogel, they were still considered one of the best teams in the league. In LA Lakers vs. Boston Celtics, the prognosis does not clearly go in one direction. Everyone knows that LBJ can dominate any game at any time. In combination with Anthony Davis, any opponent can be beaten on a good day.

Predicted LA Lakers lineup:
Westbrook, Bradley, James, Davis, Jordan

Boston Celtics – Statistics & current form

The Boston Celtics’ games have run the gamut recently. From games with very little points total to games with over 260 points totaled on both sides.

Normally, the Celtics’ star duo consists of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Due to Brown’s absence in the last two games, Dennis Schröder in particular stepped up. First, the native of Braunschweig put up 26 points against Utah. He followed that up with 31 points in the win over Portland. The point guard, who turned down a long-term offer from the Lakers before the season and was then forced to sign with the Celtics for far less money, is currently considered one of the steals of the offseason given his small salary.

Franchise player number one Jayson Tatum was in no way inferior to him and was the top scorer in both games with 37 and 31 points respectively. With an average of over 25 points per game, the 23-year-old forward is playing another strong season. Already beyond reproach in terms of his own scoring, the only thing left for him is to improve his playmaking skills. 3.7 assists per game leave room for improvement. Compared to his career average of 2.7, however, it seems to be going in the right direction. In the first game against the Lakers this season, he only had two assists. But he excelled with 37 points and eleven rebounds and almost single-handedly provided the 130-108 victory at the end of November.

Defensively decent, offensively expandable

Even if the last two games hide it a bit, the Celtics are considered a good defensive team. 106.5 points are allowed on average per game. This ranks them ninth in a league comparison of all teams.

In contrast to that, and especially in contrast to the terrific offensive numbers of Tatum and Schröder, the Imps only rank 16th when it comes to own points. 108.3 is the average yield per game. In one-third (eight) of their games, the Celtics remained under 100 points of their own. In contrast, they have also scored 130 or more points in five games. LA Lakers vs. Boston Celtics is therefore not a clear-cut bet. Nevertheless, we expect an offensive spectacle rather than a defensive battle.

Predicted line-up of Boston Celtics:
Smart, Brown, Tatum, Al Horford, Williams III

LA Lakers – Boston Celtics Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

In the duel of the most successful teams in the history of the league, there is no clear favourite on paper up front. The balance of the last 56 games also underlines the balance. 30 games went to the Lakers, the remaining 26 to the Celtics. The first game between the two teams this season was won by the green and white from the East Coast with 130 to 108 against the men from Hollywood.

LA Lakers – Boston Celtics Tip

So far, both teams offered many facets. On the one hand, outstanding individual performances. On the other hand, too few games based on team success. A lot will depend on the form of the day in LA Lakers vs. Boston Celtics – according to our prediction.

The first duel at the TD Garden in Boston went to the home team. Lebron James made his debut then after an absence of eight games and put up 23 points in 32 minutes. On the other side, Jayson Tatum excelled with 37 points. For the match between LA Lakers and Boston Celtics, one can definitely bet on an individual highlight performance.

Even though both teams have played rather unpredictably so far, we think the odds are in favour of a high-scoring game between LA Lakers and Boston Celtics and recommend betting on over 214.5 points. We are betting seven units on this one