Boston Celtics at LA Lakers Christmas Day Game Pick

Boston Celtics (22-6 SU, 13-13 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (16-14 SU, 13-17 ATS)

When: Monday, December 25th, 5:00 PM (ET)

Where: Crypto.com Arena, CA, Los Angeles

TV: ABC

Point Spread: Bos -3/LAL +3

Total: 234.5

Money Line: Boston Celtics -149/+123

Notable Injuries

Celtics

• Kristaps Porzingis (Questionable) Ankle
• Luke Kornet (Probable) Adductor
• Svi Mykhailiuk (Questionable) Heel
• Lamar Stevens (Questionable) Illness

Lakers

• Anthony Davis (Questionable) Ankle
• LeBron James (Questionable) Ankle
• Jarred Vanderbilt (Probable) Heel
• Gabe Vincent (Out) Knee
• Rui Hachimura (Probable) Wrist
• Cam Reddish (Questionable) Groin

Recent Form

The Celtics are coming into today’s game looking to build on their two-game winning streak. Overall, they are 22-6. In Eastern Conference play, the Celtics are 19-4 compared to 3-2 in non-conference games.

Across their last ten games, the Lakers are 5-5 and are 16-14 overall. When it comes to conference play, the Lakers are 13-9 compared to 3-5 in non-conference games.

The Historicals

Across the previous 5 head-to-head meetings between the teams, both Boston and Los Angeles have an ATS record of 2-2-1. The Celtics hold the edge in average point differential at +5 points per game. Boston and Los Angeles averaged a combined 235 points per game in these games, leading to an over-under mark of 4-1.

Analysis

The Celtics offense is coming off a game where they scored 145 points against the Clippers. They posted a field goal percentage of 52.1% and connected on 25 threes. The team’s top scorer is Jayson Tatum, who enters today’s matchup with an average of 26.9, while Jaylen Brown also carries a PPG average of 22.8 into the game.

Boston’s defense has been playing well, ranking 3 in the NBA with 109.7 points allowed per game.

For the season, Boston is ranked 29th in fewest fouls per game. The teams are averaging 19.0 free throws per game vs. the Celtics and have an overall field goal percentage of 44.8%.

Los Angeles is fresh off a strong offensive showing, putting up 129 points versus the Thunder. This output is higher than their season average of 114 points per game. Currently leading the team in scoring is LeBron James, who comes into today’s matchup averaging 25.7. Anthony Davis also heads into the game with a PPG average of 24.4.

So far, the Lakers’ defense is ranked 16 in the league at 114.2 points per contest.

For the season, Los Angeles is ranked 30th in fewest fouls per game. Teams are averaging 18.8 free throws per game vs. the Lakers and have an overall field goal percentage of 46.3%.

Betting Trends

• Although Boston has a straight-up record of 2-3 in their last five road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 2-3. The team averaged 124 points per game in these games.
• When looking at their past ten home matchups, Los Angeles has an ATS record of 4-6 while averaging 116 per game. The team went 4-6 overall in these games.
• Looking back on the team’s last five games as the underdog, the Lakers have a straight-up record of 2-3. Their record vs the spread in these games was 3-2.
• In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Celtics have a strong straight-up record of 2-1. In addition, their ATS record was 2-1 in these scenarios.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

Aside from their loss to the Warriors, the Celtics have looked excellent on this West Coast road trip, easily getting past the Kings and Clippers. And today, they are favored by three over the Lakers. I see this as a great opportunity to take Boston at -3 in this Christmas day matchup.