Free Picks: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

Alex Murray
By: Alex Murray
04/15/2021
NBA Free Picks – Best Bets of the Week
Lakers vs Celtics NBA
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics, NBA, Staples Center

The Boston Celtics come into the Staples Center to take on the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers feeling pretty good about themselves with the team in something of a groove considering they’ve won their last four straight games. They’ve been doing it against some of the top teams the Western Conference has to offer as well, which should give them added confidence against this banged up Lakers squad.

Celtics, Lakers Meet In NBA’s Marquee Matchup At Staples (Season Betting Record: 82-88)

The Lakes started out losing their first four in a row after LeBron James went down with an ankle injury—which is expected to keep him out until at least May—before then winning their next two in a row. Since then the Lakers have alternated wins and losses for the past eight games. Considering they won in their last game, the Celtics’ NBA point spread looks like a solid NBA pick for this matchup.

Anthony Davis is not returning to the team until at least after this tilt so no worries there for Boston, and Markieff Morris is unsure to play as well with a nagging ankle issue. Andre Drummond, L.A.’s most recent addition, has not been panning out quite as the team had hoped, scoring just seven points total over his past two games.

L.A. is also returning home to the Staples Center for this clash with the Celtics after having played their last seven games on the road. While it will certainly be nice for them to be back home, the first home game after a long road trip is historically not a great spot since the team is exhausted from the road trip and still in the process of reacclimating to their home routine after over 14 days away.

The Lakers have not often been listed as an underdog when they’re playing at Staples, but that is the situation they find themselves in on Thursday night. L.A. has only experienced that situation thrice before this season, and all three of those games ended in a spread loss for the Lakers. They’re also just not great at Staples in general, posting a yikes-inducing 11-16 ATS mark there so far this season.

Boston has not been that great of a road team this season either, going just 12-16 ATS so far this season, but they have been on a roll away from the TD Garden lately, covering the spread in each of their last five road games. The Celtics haven’t really gotten a look at trade deadline addition Evan Fournier because he’s been stuck in the health and safety protocols, but the rest of the team has been on it lately, winning four straight and six of their last seven.

Their last two straight wins came against a pair of big, bad teams from the Western Conference, winning a tight one against the Blazers their last time out and using a 31-3 run during the late third and early fourth quarters to bust Denver’s eight-game winning streak in the game before that.

Boston has also dominated this matchup of late, taking the last four straight meetings ATS and seven of the last 10 ATS at the Staples Center. We like them to keep that dominance up considering L.A.’s injury issues and easily cover their -4.5 point spread at lovely -118 NBA odds as one of our best bets for today.

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Boston Celtics -4.5 Point Spread
-118

Stats

  • Boston is 5-0 ATS in their last five road games
  • Boston is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings
  • Los Angeles has not had 2 consecutive SU wins since March 28th
  • Los Angeles is 0-3 ATS as the home underdog this season

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