Lakers vs. Celtics Saturday Prediction
One of the oldest rivalries in the NBA will renew on Saturday night in Boston, where the Celtics will host LeBron and the Lakers at 8:30 p.m. ET. Will the Lakers laying 2.5 as a road favorite and the total sitting at 219.5, what’s the best bet in tonight’s matchup?
Game Snapshot
509 Los Angeles Lakers (-2.5) at 510 Boston Celtics (+2.5); o/u 219.5
8:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, January 30, 2021
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA
TV: ABC
Los Angeles Lakers DFS Spin
Anthony Davis (bruised right quad) is questionable to play vs. Boston on Saturday. The Lakers have continually listed AD on the injury report, but this time it’s serious enough to have kept him out of action vs. Detroit on Thursday. Kyle Kuzma got the start in his absence and would likely do so again if Davis can’t play vs. the Celtics, who present a favorable matchup for opposing bigs.
Boston Celtics DFS Spin
Jayson Tatum recorded 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists, four steals and three turnovers across 34 minutes in Wednesday’s narrow loss to the Spurs. Tatum got off to a rough start in this one, going just 3-of-10 from the field through the first half of action, but he completely flipped the script after halftime and nearly powered the Celtics to their third straight win. “I don’t worry one bit about him finding the basket,” said head coach Brad Stevens before the game, “that’s what he does.” That’s what he does, indeed, and he’s been a steady top-20 producer this season with averages of 26.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.2 triples, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks and 2.4 turnovers per game on 47.1% shooting from the field and 85.7% from the stripe. We’d anticipate the scoring and assists numbers to continue to climb as the year goes on.
Lakers vs. Celtics Betting Prediction
The Lakers are just 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games against the Celtics and are 1-4 against the number in their last five games as a favorite. The Celtics, meanwhile, have covered in four of their last five home games, are 22-8 against the number in their last 30 games as an underdog and are 17-5 at the betting window in their last 22 games as a home dog.
NBA BETTING PREDICTION: BOSTON CELTICS +2.5