The Los Angeles Lakers (23-26, 10-14 Away) will try to slow down one of the league’s top scoring teams when they head to face the Boston Celtics (35-15, 18-6 Home) on Saturday.
Los Angeles defeated the San Antonio Spurs 113-104 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday. With 21 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks, Anthony Davis had a standout performance.
The Lakers are the 13th seed in the Western Conference. Boston lost their third in a row in a close one on Thursday at TD Garden, falling to the New York Knicks 120-117 in overtime. Jayson Tatum had 35 points and 14 rebounds in the loss, leading the team.
The Celtics are first in the Eastern Conference, three games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers. The teams are meeting for the final time this season. Boston will be pursuing a season sweep against Los Angeles after taking the only prior meeting 122-118 in overtime at Crypto.com Arena in December 2022.
Tatum led the Celtics with 44 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Davis had 37 points and 12 rebounds in defeat. The Lakers have been led this season by LeBron James, who is averaging 29.9 points per game, seventh-highest in the league.
James also has grabbed 8.5 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook is dishing 7.5 assists. Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been the primary providers of the Celts’ offense, averaging 31.1 and 26.8 points per game, respectively.
Tatum ranks third in the league. Tatum also has collected 8.7 rebounds per game. Marcus Smart has distributed 7.2 assists per game. The Celtics are one of the top scoring offenses in the NBA, ranking fourth with 117.6 points per game.
The Lakers have come up short in recent visits to TD Garden, losing six of the last 10. In the last 10 games, Los Angeles is 5-5 with an average margin of -1.2 (119.4-120.6). Boston has gone 7-3 over the last 10, scoring 113.0 points per game on average while holding opponents to 108.8 (+4.2 margin).
LAKERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Assists per game:
Russell Westbrook: 5.0 | 7.5 | -2.5
CELTICS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Rebounds per game:
Jayson Tatum: 13.3 | 8.7 | +4.6
Assists per game:
Jayson Tatum: 6.0 | 4.4 | +1.6
Marcus Smart: 4.0 | 7.2 | -3.2
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Boston Celtics (-350)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
