Lakers vs. Celtics Pick & Predictions Feb 1

Los Angeles Lakers (24-25 SU, 21-28 ATS) vs. Boston Celtics (37-11 SU, 22-24 ATS)

When: Thursday, February 1st, 7:30 PM (ET)

Where: TD Garden, MA, Boston

TV: TNT

Point Spread: LAL +11/Bos -11

Total: 240.5

Money Line: L.A. +440/Beantown -608

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Notable Injuries

Lakers

• Anthony Davis (Questionable) Achilles/Hip
• LeBron James (Questionable) Ankle
• Gabe Vincent (Out) Knee
• Cam Reddish (Out) Ankle

Celtics

• Luke Kornet (Questionable) Hamstring

The Celtics (-608) host the Lakers (+440) in a non-conference matchup at TD Garden. Boston is favored by 11 points and has won two straight games. Los Angeles has lost two straight and is 9th in the Western Conference.

This game will be televised on TNT and has a scheduled start time of 7:30 ET. The over/under line for this matchup is set at 240.5 points.

Recent Form

In their last game, the Lakers fell to the Hawks by a score of 138-122. The O/U line for the game was 248 points. This loss dropped the Lakers’ record to 24-25 on the season.

This season, the Lakers have an O/U record of 28-21, and their games have averaged 233.8 points per game. Today’s O/U line of 240.5 is higher than 44 of their previous games.

Against the spread, the Lakers are 21-28 overall and have failed to cover in their last two games. On the road, they are 9-15 ATS compared to 12-13 ATS at home.

Looking at their Western Conference standings, the Lakers are currently in 9th place with a record of 24-25. In the Pacific Division, they are 4th. As the underdog, the Lakers are 6-15 this season.

On the road, the Lakers are 7-17 this season and have an average scoring differential of -7.9 points per game. In their last two games, they have lost straight up and ATS.

Boston is 37-11 this season, which is the best record in the Eastern Conference. In non-conference games, they are 12-5 compared to 25-6 against other Eastern Conference teams.

The Celtics have won two straight games and are favored by 11 points today. As the favorite, they have gone 35-10 this season, and they have been favored in 45 of their 48 games.

In their last game, the Celtics beat the Pacers by a score of 129-124. The O/U line for that game was 248.5 points. Boston was favored by 8 points going into the game.

Boston has an ATS record of 22-24 this season, and they have failed to cover the spread in their last four home games. Their average scoring margin at home is +12.6 points per game.

This season, the Celtics have an O/U record of 24-24, and their games have averaged 231.4 points per game. Today’s O/U line is set at 240.5 points.

The Historicals

Across the previous 5 head-to-head meetings between the teams, both Los Angeles and Boston have an ATS record of 2-2-1. The Celtics hold the edge in average point differential at +6 points per game. The over-under record in these same games is 4-1, with the teams combining for an average of 236 points per game.

Analysis

The Lakers are currently 14th in the NBA in scoring at 116.2 points per game. On the road, they are averaging 115.6 points per game.

So far this season, the Lakers have outscored the NBA scoring average in 44.9% of their games. In terms of field goal percentage, they are 7th in the league at 49%.

When it comes to three-point shooting, the Lakers are 28th in made threes per game (11.2) and 30th in three-point attempts. They are shooting 36% from beyond the arc.

At this time, the Lakers’ defense is positioned 20th in the NBA, permitting 117.6 points per game. When it comes to defending inside the arc, the Lakers squad is permitting opposing teams to shoot at a clip of 54.3% inside the arc, and they’re also giving up 37.9% from downtown.

So far this season, the Celtics have been one of the league’s top three-point shooting teams. They lead the NBA in both three-point attempts and makes per game. Overall, they are shooting 38% from beyond the arc, which is fourth-best in the league.

When playing at home, the Celtics are averaging 121.8 points per game, which is sixth in the NBA. On the season, they are fifth in scoring at 120.4 points per game. In terms of field goal percentage, the Celtics are 13th in the league at 47%.

Heading into this game, the Celtics have outscored the NBA scoring average in 70.8% of their games. They are also 18th in pace at 98.5 possessions per game. In terms of assists, the Celtics are 21st in the league.

This season, the Celtics defense has been impressive, holding the 6th position in the league while permitting an average of 111.0 points per contest. In terms of takeaways, the Celtics are causing 11.9 turnovers per game, ranking 6th in the league. They also enter the matchup ranked 1st in rejections, averaging 6.5 blocked shots each game.

Betting Trends

• Through their last ten road contests, the Lakers’ offense has averaged 119 points per game while allowing an average of 127. Los Angeles posted an overall record of 2-8 while going 4-6 ATS.
• Across their last three home contests, Boston has been good against the spread posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 3-0, while averaging 126 points per game.
• Going back to their previous five games as the underdog, Los Angeles has an ATS mark of 2-3 while going 2-3 straight up.
• Going back to their last ten games as the favorite, the Celtics have a straight up record of 8-2. But their mark vs the spread was just 5-5.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

The Lakers have dropped each of their last two games by 16 points apiece and are currently 11-point underdogs vs. the Celtics. Despite things trending in the wrong direction, I do see the Lakers getting up for today’s game. Although I don’t see them winning, I do like them at +11. Question: When you bet on games, are you laying -110 odds (or higher) on your wagers? 99% of our readers will answer yes. What if you could bet on games at -105 instead? This saves a $100 bettor five bucks every time he bets! Why wouldn’t anybody want those kind of savings? It’s FREE too! Do yourself a favor and take five minutes to make the switch to BetAnySports. You’ll save hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars every year.