Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics 1/20/20 NBA Betting Odds and Preview

The Los Angeles Lakers face the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden on Monday night in another installment of their storied rivalry.

The Lakers head to the home of their rivals coming off a big road win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. The win was Los Angeles’ 10th in their last 11 games and put them back to the winner’s side after getting upset by the Orlando Magic three days back. The Celtics have struggled to start the year and they have lost six out of their last eight games played. Boston has dropped back to back games and they are dealing with injuries to Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown. The Lakers have also played their last five games minus big man Anthony Davis due to injury.

Road Win Over the Rockets

The Los Angeles Lakers got back on track with a big road win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. The Lakers, who saw their nine-game winning streak end at the hands of the Orlando Magic last Wednesday night, rode a big third quarter to beat the Rockets 124-115 at the Toyota Center.

LeBron James scored 31 points and issued 12 assists while Kyle Kuzma added 23 points while playing good defense on Russell Westbrook. Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell Pope added 20 points each of the Lakers who were still without their injured big man Anthony Davis who missed his fifth consecutive game with a bruised backside.

The Lakers rank 6th in the league in scoring at 114.2 points per game this season and they also have the 5th best scoring defense this year at 105.6 points per game allowed. Los Angeles is 13th in rebounding at 45.8 boards grabbed per contest and they are 5th in passing at 26.1 assists per game.

The Boston Celtics lost their third straight game at the hands of the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. Boston has dropped six out of their last eight assignments and they have allowed the Toronto Raptors to take a one-half game lead in the Atlantic Division team standings.

Marcus Smart made a career-high 11 three-pointers and became the 11th player in league history to make 11 threes in a game. Jayson Tatum scored 26 points for the Celtics while Gordon Hayward added 22 for the men in green who played without leading scorer Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown who were out due to injuries.

The Celtics rank 12th in the league in scoring at 111.7 points per game scored and they have the 4th best scoring defense overall at 105.6 points per game allowed. Boston is 14th in rebounding at 45.6 boards per contest and they are 19th in passing at 23.1 assists per game this season.

Who Wins?

Los Angeles is 10-1 SU in their last 11 games played. The Lakers are 18-2 SU in their last 20 games played on the road. Boston is 2-6 SU in their last eight games played. The Celtics are just 3-3 SU in their last six games played at home. Head to head, the Celtics are 5-2 SU in their last seven games played against the Lakers.

The Lakers have played without Anthony Davis in their last five games but Kyle Kuzma has stepped up and Los Angeles is 4-1 without the Brow. LeBron James continues to deliver the assists and provide the team with stability. But if guys like Danny Green, KCP, and Kuzma continues to play well, the Lakers are still hard to beat even without AD.

Boston missed Kemba Walker in their last outing due to soreness in his left knee while Jaylen Brown was out for the second straight game due to a sprained right thumb. Walker and Brown are listed as day to day and if Boston will play minus these two, it’s going to be a tough game against the best team in the West.

Boston has lost six out of their last eight games played and may not have everyone back for this big contest. The Celtics have not lost four in a row this season but they have dropped three of five at the TD Garden. Los Angeles is without AD but they have shown they can win without him. The Celtics will struggle here if Walker and Brown continue to sit out.

Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers

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Other Bets to Make

The Lakers are 5-1 ATS in their last five games played. Los Angeles is 3-0 ATS in their last three games played on the road, 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against the Eastern Conference, and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games played against the Atlantic Division. The Celtics are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played. Boston is 4-2 ATS in their last six games played at home, 6-3 ATS in their last nine games against the Western Conference, and 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against the Pacific Division. Head to head, the Lakers are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Celtics.

The Celtics have outscored the Lakers by an average of 5.7 points per game in their last 10 meetings and by 3.67 points per game in their last three encounters. With Kemba and Jaylen, both listed as questionable, I think the visitors have the edge here for as long as Kuzma continues to deliver.
Prediction: Lakers -1.5

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The total has gone over in each of the last five games played by the Lakers. Los Angeles has seen the total go over in their last three games played on the road. The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by the Celtics. The over is also 4-1 in Boston’s last five games played on the road. Head to head, the over is 3-0 in the last three meetings between these two teams.

These teams have combined to score an average of 233 points per game in their last three meetings. But with Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown both questionable here, the Celtics will have to rely on their defense to win this game. Even if both play, I’m not sure if they will be 100%. The Lakers are also one of the best defensive teams this season and while they have shown they can put up points on the board, Boston’s slow-paced style is going to lead these teams to a low-scoring contest.

Prediction: Under 222

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