Free Picks: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Alex Murray
By: Alex Murray
01/31/2021
NBA Free Picks – Best Bets of the Week
Celtics vs Lakers NBA
Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, TD Garden

Though it seems unlikely, on Saturday we will see the 14-6 Los Angeles Lakers taking on the 10-7 Boston Celtics at TD Garden with both squads coming off of losses. The formerly NBA-leading Lakers have actually lost two straight and will be looking to stop the boat from rocking too much here. Boston will also be looking to get back in the win column after a tough loss to the San Antonio Spurs last time out.

Lakers’ Dynamic Duo To Lead L.A. Back To Win Column (Season Betting Record: 23-23)

Some will say that L.A.’s embarrassing 107-92 loss to the five-win Detroit Pistons can be attributed to the absence of Anthony Davis, who was out to rest a quad bruise, but that’s not entirely true. The Lakers went back and forth all night, failing to stop one of the worst teams in the NBA at any critical junctures to create space between them, eventually faltering in the fourth quarter, which they lost 25-14.

LeBron James did play in that game, and though he seemed pretty apathetic by the end of it, he still shot decently well and scored 22 points in 36 minutes. His fingerprints were all over the game, both with the positives on offense as well as the negative stretches on the defensive end, which were pretty ugly at times. Davis is not only the second-best (perhaps best) offensive player for the Lakers, he’s also their defensive anchor.

There’s no reason to think the Brow won’t be back in action for one of the best rivalry games in basketball in Celtics-Lakers at the TD Garden. With the quality of both of these teams, the talent on both sides, and considering how deep both squads went in last year’s postseason, this matchup has ‘Legacy Game’ written all over it, so don’t expect the King or the Brow to be taking too many plays off.

While the Lakers are still listing Davis as questionable for the game they’ve done that for nearly every one this season, and the 27-year-old has only missed a trio of contests so far. Even if Davis does sit out again, which seems highly unlikely, we still like LeBron to will his team to a triumph, so we’re going to confidently take the Lakers  -1 on an NBA point spread play at -112 odds (22Bet).

Davis went on a bit of a cold streak earlier this month, failing to top 20 points in four straight contests, but he’s topped that mark in two of his last three outings and is looking at a tasty matchup on Saturday night. The Brow scores 12.1 of his 21.9 points per game in the paint with his brilliant arsenal of post moves, and the Celtics have yet to find an answer under the rim, allowing the 12th-most points in the painted area (47.2) as they roll out pylons like Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson at the five.

Davis has always relished playing against Boston, putting up 27.3 points per game in his career versus the C’s, the fourth-highest mark for the Brow against any opponent. If Davis does indeed play, the over on his points prop, which is likely to sit around 21 to 22 points is one of our top picks of the night. If the Brow surprisingly sits out again, smash the over on LeBron’s points prop, which will likely sit around 27 or 28 points.

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Los Angeles Lakers -1 Point Spread
-112

Stats

  • Boston has gone 2-4 ATS following losses this season
  • Boston is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 against teams who have won 60% of their games
  • Los Angeles is 4-1 SU following losses this season
  • Anthony Davis has averaged 27.3 points per game against Boston in his career

Alex is an alumnus of Ryerson University's RTA Sport Media program, a contributing NHL, NBA, and MLB writer in the BetPicks.ca team. He has been writing on sports, betting, and fantasy contests for several years, including pitstops as an NFL Editor for theScore and as one of the lead NBA news writers for fantasy sports site FantasyPros. As a lifelong athlete, bettor, and sports fan, Alex is uniquely qualified to help you reach the sports betting success that you've always dreamed of and your wife never believed you could achieve.

NBA - East Standings

 

NBA LogoTeamWLPCT
1Heat5329.646
2Celtics5131.622
3Bucks5131.622
476ers5131.622
5Raptors4834.585
6Bulls4636.561
7Nets4438.537
8Hawks4339.524
9Cavaliers4438.537
10Hornets4339.524
11Knicks3745.451
12Wizards3547.427
13Pacers2557.305
14Pistons2359.280
15Magic2260.268

 

NBA - West Standings

 

NBA LogoTeamWLPCT
1Suns6418.780
2Grizzlies5626.683
3Warriors5329.646
4Mavericks5230.634
5Jazz4933.598
6Nuggets4834.585
7Wolves4636.561
8Pelicans3646.439
9Clippers4240.512
10Spurs3448.415
11Lakers3349.402
12Kings3052.366
13Blazers2755.329
14Thunder2458.293
15Rockets2062.244

 

NBA Key Dates

2021-2022 Season
Regular season beginsOctober 19
NBA All-Star 2022February 18-20
Regular season concludesApril 10
Play-In TournamentApril 12-1517
Playoffs beginApril 16
NBA Finals beginJune 2
Game 7 of NBA FinalsJune 19
NBA DraftJune 23