It doesn’t matter if the Los Angeles Lakers are slumping. When it’s a Lakers-Boston Celtics affair, everyone’s going to watch it. With that said, will the Lakers pull off an upset in Beantown this Friday? Or, will the Celtics add to LA’s woes?
Catch this game live on Friday, February 2, 2024 at 8:30 AM, Manila time
Away: Los Angeles Lakers (24-25/7-17 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- D’Angelo Russell
- Austin Reaves
- Taurean Prince
- LeBron James (Questionable)
- Anthony Davis (Questionable)
The Lakers need wins but they’re just not getting those Ws of late. They will arrive at TD Garden this Friday riding a two-game losing skid, having lost back-to-back to the Houston Rockets (135-119) and the Atlanta Hawks (138-122) last Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
Darvin Ham’s seat right now could be hot and LinkedIn may already be waiving at him. If the Lakers are to at least be competitive against the high-powered Boston squad, they’re going to need both LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the floor. However, both stars are labeled questionable. D’Angelo Russell could be the X-factor in this game for the Lakers. After a string of exceptional performances that must have boosted his trade stock, Russell fell back to Earth and scored just nine points in the Hawks game.
The Lakers, who are averaging 116.3 points per game and seventh with a 49.3 FG%, are 2-1-1 against the spread in their last four meetings with the Celtics.
Home: Boston Celtics (37-11/22-2 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- Jrue Holiday
- Derrick White
- Jaylen Brown
- Jayson Tatum
- Kristaps Porzingis
Unlike their rivals from the West Coast, the Celtics are having fun lately. They’re back to their winning ways after stumbling in a 116-96 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers last Sunday, as the Celtics rebounded from that defeat by beating the New Orleans Pelicans (118-112) on Tuesday and deflating the Indiana Pacers (129-124) on Wednesday — both at home.
Those were tough wins the Celtics eked out, the kind that gives them momentum while keeping them in check at the same time. Boston knows everyone has a target on its back, including the Lakers, who have lost in three of the last four visits to Beantown. Meanwhile, the Celtics are 4-1-1 against the spread in their last six home games versus Los Angeles.
The Celtics have also won the first and only game opposite the Lakers this season, as they beat LA on the road last December, 126-115. They can double down on their mastery of the Lakers by abusing LA’s seemingly faulty defense. The Lakers have allowed an average of 135.2 points in the last five games — the worst in the entire league over the same span.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Lakers cover (+11.0) the spread.
Over/Under: The total (237.0) hits the Over.
