LA Lakers at Boston Celtics Predictions 11/19/21

Los Angeles Lakers (8-8 SU, 6-10 ATS) vs. Boston Celtics (7-8 SU, 8-61 ATS)

When: Friday November 19 2021, 07:30 PM (ET)

Where: TD Garden: Boston, Massachusetts

TV: ESPN

Point Spread: (LAL 2.0/BOS -2.0) (Opened at BOS -3 at Bovada – Home of the 50% bonus up to $250, the BEST live wagering platform on the web, rebates on ALL bets; win, lose or draw and your credit card WILL work there for depositing!)

Total: 212.5 (Opened at 215)

Money Line: (Los Angeles +108/Boston -130)

Power Rating: BOS -2

Probable Starting Lineups

Lakers: PG Russell Westbrook, SG Avery Bradley, SF Talen Horton-Tucker, PF Carmelo Anthony, C Anthony Davis

Celtics: PG Dennis Schroeder, SG Marcus Smart, SF Jayson Tatum, PF Jeff Grant Williams, C Robert Williams

Key Injuries

Lakers
Trevor Ariza: ankle (QUESTIONABLE) LeBron James: abdominal (QUESTIONABLE) Kendrick Nunn: ankle (OUT) Austin Reaves: hamstring (QUESTIONABLE)

Celtics
Jaylen Brown: hamstring (QUESTIONABLE) Robert Williams III: knee (QUESTIONABLE)

Recent Form

The Los Angeles Lakers enter today’s game, having lost two straight games. As of late, LA has struggled to pick up wins, having won just 5 of their past ten games. On the season, they have played one of the easiest schedules in the NBA (30th). As the road team, the Lakers travel to Boston with a negative plus-minus of rating -6.5 points. Overall the Lakers are ranked 25th among NBA teams in point differential (2.1).

For bettors, taking the Los Angeles Lakers to cover the spread has been a losing bet as they are covering the spread in 37.50% of their games. Their season-long plus-minus against the spread is -5.3.

On offense, the team’s leading scorer is PF Anthony Davis. So far, Davis is averaging 23.81 points per game. This output places him 2nd in his position group. Davis is also the team’s leading rebounder at 10.81 rebounds per game. When he was on the court, the Lakers best three-point shooter was LeBron James, who was making 2.83 shots from downtown per game.

The Boston Celtics also enter today’s game, having won 5 of their past ten contests. On the season, the team has played the 11th toughest schedule. When playing at home, the Celtics are winning at a below .500 rate, having gone 2-3. The Celtics have a negative home plus-minus of -6.0 points. Overall, the Celtics are ranked 12nd among NBA teams in point differential (0.9).

For bettors, taking the Los Angeles Lakers to cover the spread has been a winning bet as they are covering the spread in 57.10% of their games. Their season-long plus-minus against the spread is -1.0.

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On offense, the team’s leading scorer is SF Jayson Tatum. So far, Tatum is averaging 24.2 points per game. The Celtics’ best three-point shooter has been Jaylen Brown, as he is connecting on 2.88 shots from downtown per game. Robert Williams III has been in charge of cleaning up the glass, hauling in 9.31 boards per game.

An Eye On Pace

Despite the Celtics having a roster of younger players, like the Lakers, they too prefer to play the game at a slower pace. On average, both teams finish games with fewer possessions per game than the rest of the league. Historically, both teams beat other slow-paced teams at a rate of 45%.

Offensive Edge

If the game finishes with a limited number of possessions, the offensive edge goes to Boston, who score at a more efficient rate than the Lakers. However, their scoring efficiency has taken a slight dip when missing Jaylen Brown. Without the explosiveness of Brown, teammate Jayson Tatum is the primary scorer. Although Tatum is one of the league’s best young players, he is prone to shooting droughts from bad shot selection.

The Historicals

Last year, these teams met up for two games, with the Lakers and Celtics each winning once. Combined, Boston outscored LA 216-209.

How the Public is Betting the Lakers vs. Celtics

62% are betting the Lakers against the spread.

54% are wagering on the game to go over the posted total of 215

Betting Trends Worth Noting

Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight-up loss.
Lakers are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games overall.
The Celtics are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games overall.
The Celtics are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS loss.

Joe’s Pick To Cover The Spread

The news surrounding the Lakers is that Lebron James is set to make his return to the lineup. Having James back will make life easier for everyone on the roster. The team brought in Russell Westbrook to play third fiddle to James and Anthony Davis. The system doesn’t appear to work, with Westbrook taking on a primary scoring load. Anthony Davis continued to put up big numbers but had to work a lot harder than he would have hoped. In this game, I like the Lakers to win this game outright.

Prop Bets Worth Wagering

With James back in the lineup, I am looking for Anthony Davis to benefit the most. The Celtics don’t have a player with the defensive skills to step out and cover Davis on the perimeter. His scoring versatility will cause problems all night for Boston. Did you know… That you don’t have to lay -110 odds on your bets anymore? Imagine how much money you’d have saved over the last year if you had bet your games at -105 odds! You’d have saved $5 for every $100 you tried to win! Make that thought a reality by taking five minutes to make the switch to BetAnySports Sportsbook! You’ll be so glad you did!