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Celtics vs Lakers: The top game on Christmas Day
The Boston Celtics visit the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in what seems to be the most interesting matchup on Christmas Day. Boston won 4 of the last five games against LA, and a fun fact is that the last two went to overtime.
Are the Celtics the team to beat this season?
The Boston Celtics made a couple of moves in the offseason, adding Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to the roster, and they are a much better team than last year. The Celtics are on top of the Eastern Conference with a 22-6 record. They have won 8 of the last 10 games and are coming off a 145-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Jayson Tatum is the top scorer on the team, averaging 26.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
LeBron is coming off a season-high night
LeBron James is turning 39 this week, and he is coming off a season-night dropping 40 points in a 129-120 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers ended a four-game losing streak with that one and now are ninth in the Western Conference with a 16-14 record and are a solid 10-3 at home. LeBron leads the team with 25.7 points per game, followed by Anthony Davis, who has 24.4 and a league-high 12.4 rebounds per game.
Betting Trends
The Celtics are 14-12-2 ATS this season and 6-3-1 ATS against the Lakers in the last 10 head-to-head games. The Lakers are 5-7 ATS at home, 6-10 ATS after a win, and 4-5 ATS in non-conference games.
How good the Celtics defense is this season?
The Celtics rank third in the league, allowing 109.7 points per game, and fourth in field goal percentage allowed with 44.7%. Boston allows only 24 assists per game, which ranks them third in the league, and they are ninth with 42.9 allowed rebounds per game.
Injury Reports
Kristaps Porzingis is listed as day-to-day for the Celtics just as Gabe Vincent for the Lakers.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Celtics are coming to this game at full speed after beating the Clippers by 37 points and are three-point favorites in this one. The Lakers are also coming off a nice road win in OKC, but previously, they lost four straight games. The Lakers are 10-3 at home, while the Celtics are 8-6 on the road. The Celtics have won 4 of the last 5 games against the Lakers, and that successful run will look even better after this game. Boston has an excellent defense that will make things hard for LeBron James and his teammates. This may not be a blowout win for the Celtics, but they will most likely cover the spread.
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