Will it be the third defeat in a row for Boston?
On 14.12.2022, the Los Angeles Lakers host the current Eastern Conference leaders. The hosts recently managed to end their negative streak after three winless games, beating the Detroit Pistons 124-117. The Boston Celtics have to play the second team from LA back-to-back after the game against the Los Angeles Clippers. In the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, the betting odds nevertheless point to an away win.
After two losses in a row, a win for the Celtics is not necessarily expected. Boston just played the Los Angeles Clippers last night and let the Stars play over four quarters. Therefore, the Los Angeles Lakers should have a slight advantage when it comes to power reserves in the upcoming game. For this reason, between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, the odds for a home win seem a little more interesting.
Anthony Davis is clearly the key in the Lakers’ game. That’s not to diminish LeBron’s ability at all, but without Davis, the Los Angeles team’s game is much easier to figure out. In fact, since he is very likely to play, the Lakers seem to have a pretty good chance of winning. In the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, betting on a home win has a lot of value in our estimation.
LA Lakers – Statistics & current form
The LA Lakers are currently in twelfth place in the Western Conference. The season started very disappointingly with only two wins from the first twelve games. Most recently, the Lakers have bounced back in the fight for the NBA playoffs. In the preseason, the Lakers surprisingly missed the NBA playoffs and therefore the team is under particular pressure this season. Los Angeles is currently two wins behind tenth place, which would at least be enough to qualify for the playoffs.
Anthony Davis on Fire
The LA Lakers centre is giving his own fans hope again. He has been in outstanding form in recent weeks and has been instrumental in Los Angeles’ rising form curve. He is averaging 27.7 points and 12.4 rebounds. This makes Anthony Davis the best player in the squad in both categories. With his 2.08 m, he has the ideal prerequisites for his position. Due to his injury susceptibility, however, he has already missed a large number of games in his career.
Pros & Cons
Los Angeles excels in rebounds thanks to Anthony Davis. On average, the Lakers win 45.3 air two-pointers and rank fifth in the NBA. Nevertheless, Darvin Ham’s team has one of the weakest defensive lines in the league. On average, the Lakers conceded 116.3 points per game and scored only 114.8 points per game themselves. Playing against the league’s best offense, however, the defensive deficiencies could be crucial.
Injured List:
Wenyen Gabriel – Out
Juan Toscano-Anderson – Out
Anthony Davis – Game Time Decision
LeBron James – Game Time Decision
Cole Swider – Game Time Decision
Starting Five of the LA Lakers:
SF: LeBron James – PF: Anthony Davis – G: Lonnie Walker IV – PG: Dennis Schröder – PG: Patrick Beverley
Boston Celtics – Statistics & current form
The Boston Celtics are in first place in the Eastern Conference. Joe Mazzulla’s team has 21 wins in 28 games. The only team that could still draw level are the Milwaukee Bucks. Boston lost 2-4 to the Golden State Warriors in the preseason finals. Nevertheless, the Celtics team played an outstanding season and is therefore also one of the big favourites for the title this season.
Jayson Tatum x Jaylen Brown
The duo consisting of Tatum and Brown is currently probably the best in the entire NBA. The two players are averaging 56.3 points per game, shooting almost half of the Boston Celtics’ baskets. Jayson Tatum is the playmaker and the one in the spotlight, while Jaylen Brown is often in his shadow. Nevertheless, this does not lead to tension between the two players, on the contrary, this is exactly why the two harmonise so well.
Pros & Cons
The Boston Celtics boast one of the best offenses in the league. With 119.3 points per game, no team in the NBA throws up more baskets than Joe Mazzulla’s team. The well-functioning offensive game is also reflected in the assists category, in which Boston ranks eighth. The Celtics’ only real weakness is in rebounding, as the team ranks 23rd with just 42.5 rebounds per game, but with only 112.4 opponent points per game, that seems to have little effect on their defensive performance.
Injured List:
Danilo Gallineri – Out
Al Horford – Out
Robert Williams – Out
Starting Five of the Boston Celtics:
SF: Jayson Tatum – SG: Jaylen Brown – PF: Blake Griffin – PG: Marcus Smart – PG: Derrick White
LA Lakers – Boston Celtics Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The head-to-head comparison between the two teams goes to the Los Angeles Lakers. The team from LA won 43 of the 77 meetings and should therefore go into the game with confidence. The last duel was already a year ago and went with 117:102 to the Lakers. However, Boston won the other two games in the preseason. Due to the heavy workload of the Celtics, the second home win in a row for Los Angeles does not seem improbable.
LA Lakers – Boston Celtics Tip
Bookmakers are predicting an away win between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics according to the odds. However, we think that a win bet on the visitors carries too much risk. The Celtics hardly have a break between the last and the upcoming game and lost two games in a row last time. The Lakers had one more day of rest and can therefore prepare better for this upcoming encounter.
We recommend betting on a +5.5 handicap win for the hosts between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are questionable for the upcoming game, but especially in the top game, the two superstars will want to play at all costs. The following game is not until 17.12 and therefore there is still enough time to regenerate. Especially the use of Davis would be extremely important, because Boston is quite weak in rebounding.
