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The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics were, for a long time, the two dominant franchises in the NBA. Boston has returned to among the league’s best this year, but Los Angeles is still in the midst of its rebuild. The teams will face off this week, as the Lakers would love to pull the upset in this matchup.
It is unlikely. Even though the Celtics are on the road, they have zoomed out to the best record in the Eastern Conference and are looking like a legitimate title contender. The Lakers have some work to do to even become a .500 team again and have a bunch of young players that are still learning.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, January 23, 2018, at 10:30 p.m. ET at the Staple Center. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Tuesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Celtics are 34-13 straight up and 27-18-2 against the spread. Boston has done a nice job on the road, covering in 14 of its 21 attempts. The Celtics are 19-17-2 against the spread as the favorite on the season.
The Lakers are 17-29 straight up and 23-23 against the spread. Los Angeles has covered in 13 of 25 attempts at home this season. The Lakers are 19-20 this season against the spread as the underdog.
Key Stat
11. That’s how many wins the Lakers have at home this year, compared to 14 losses. While it’s not a win-loss record that is fantastic, Los Angeles has fared much better at Staples Center than on the road. Even so, they will still be underdogs in this matchup despite the location.
The Lakers have a two-game winning streak coming into this matchup which includes victories the Pacers and the Knicks at home. They also defeated San Antonio at home on January 11th, which was arguably the team’s best win of the season in Los Angeles.
The trouble for the Lakers this week is that they’re facing Boston team that typically does well on the road. The Celtics have a record of 16-5 away from Boston this season. They have enough talent to win anywhere as long as the players are hitting their shots from the outside.
If this game was in Boston, the Lakers would likely get routed. At home, they have a better chance to stay close.
Player To Watch
Kyrie Irving —The Celtics’ point guard returned from a one-game absence against the Magic on Sunday to put up 40 points, but it wasn’t enough for Boston to beat the Magic. Irving was 14-of-23 from the field and 5-of-7 from three-point range in the Celtics’ 103-95 loss to Orlando, which is in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference currently.
Irving missed Boston’s game against the 76ers with shoulder soreness but appears to be back to full health and that’s good news for the Celtics, who have lost three straight heading into this matchup against the Lakers. The Celtics’ star is averaging 24.1 points and five assists on the season. He had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists in Boston’s 107-96 win over the Lakers back in November and will again be a big factor in Tuesday’s matchup.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Boston hasn’t been playing great lately but is still much more talented than the Lakers. Irving should have a big game against a Los Angeles team that does not play good defense.
Take the Celtics to cruise to the win in this one. Boston should be the favorite, but it still could be the right choice to cover the spread. Look for the scoring total to be high as this game could be played loose and free, which will result in a lot of buckets.
NBA Odds: Celtics 123, Lakers 107
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