Lakers vs Celtics Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Saturday, January 28th

Check out our free Lakers vs Celtics pick and preview for this NBA game in Boston. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Lakers vs Celtics NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics
Where: Boston at TD Garden
Date: Saturday, January 28th
Betting Odds BOS -7.5, LAL +232 | BOS -288 O/U 237.0

So far, the Lakers have put together an overall record of 23-26, while going 23-23-3 vs the spread. In the teams past 3 games, their overall mark sits at 2-1. Los Angeles is 2-1 vs the spread in these matchups.

In their previous game, the Lakers took down the Spurs by a score of 113-104. Not only did they come away with a straight up win, but they also covered the spread as 7 point favorites. Even though Los Angeles did not immediately put a dent in their halftime deficit as they trailed by 1 points heading into 4th, they still managed to come out on top. Leading the team in scoring was Anthony Davis, as he contributed 21 points while hitting 46.7% of his shots.

The Celtics come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 35-15. So far, the team has gone 25-24-1 against the spread. Boston will take the court having lost 3 straight games. On average, they have lost these games by -7.0 points per game.

In their previous game, the Celtics were favored to win vs the Knicks. However, their 120-117 loss gave them both a straight up and ATS defeat. Boston let an opportunity for a win slip away as they held a lead going into the 2nd half of action. Leading the team in scoring was Jayson Tatum, as he contributed 35 points while hitting 46.2% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

I Similar to their season-long average, the Lakers averaged 112.5 points per game vs the Celtics. Similar to the Lakers, the Celtics scored at a rate near the league average. In their games vs Los Angeles, the team averaged 116.0 points per game. Across the previous 5 meetings between the teams, the Celtics have an average scoring margin of +4 points per game, leading to an ATS mark of 3-1-1. The over-under record in these same games is 3-2, with the teams combining for an average of 224 points per game.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Heading into play, the Lakers offense is rated 5th in the league in scoring, averaging 117.0 points per contest. So far, Los Angeles is averaging 102.4 possessions per game, making them one of the more up-tempo teams in the league. Not only is the team ranked near the top of the league in possessions, but this fast-paced style has translated to an increased number of made shots, as they are 6th in the league in made field goals per game.

Against the Celtics, the Lakers will need a stronger defensive effort as they are ranked just 28th in points allowed.

One situation to keep an eye on leading up the game is the availability of LeBron James, as he is currently questionable on the injury report. If he is able to play, the team will have it’s 1-2 punch availble as James leads the team in scoring at 29.9 points per game while Westbrook is 2nd at 15.8. For the season, James is 7th in the NBA in usage rate and 17th in player efficiency. Behind him, Westbrook has taken 15.6% of the team’s field goal attempts, connecting at a rate of 42.1%.

Boston will look to continue with their strong offensive play, as they are averaging 117.6 points per game (4th). When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Celtics are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 99.5 per contest. A key reason behind the team’s overall offensive success is their ability to knock down the 3-point shot. Despite their slow style of play, their 3-point shooting percentage of 37.0% has help make up for fewer opportunites.

Defensively, the Celtics are one of the top performing units in the league, giving up 104.48 points per contest (1st).

This season, the Celtics offense has primarily worked through Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 47 games, Tatum is 4th in the NBA at 31.1 points per game. So far, him and Brown have accounted for 48% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 57.900000000000006 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Jaylen Brown is grabbing 7.1 rebounds for Boston to go along with 3.2 assists.