Lakers vs Celtics

Betsperts analyst Ron Klos previews the Celtics vs Lakers matchup.

(Playable to 234) With Boston being the favorite and on a back-to-back, games that fit this scenario have seen the under hit 59% of the time this season. (Playable to -4) With stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way, the best team in the league holds sizeable edges in many categories. Lakers vs. Los Angeles is coming off a 124-117 victory on the road in Detroit and was led once again by the one-two punch of LeBron and Anthony Davis.

A third-quarter takeover almost resulted in the Lakers beating the Celtics, but two missed Anthony Davis free-throws will sting in such a close loss.

They don’t have the guards needed to defend elite shooters, are lacking size in the post to grab rebounds and with such few shotmakers and creators, the burden of high performance lies mainly on James and AD with a side of Westbrook. With the game hanging in the balance, the Lakers continued to overwhelm Boston extending their run to 31-5 and outscoring the Celtics 28-22. the Celtics had one more push in them and went on a 17-4 run of their own to force overtime. In their last overtime game, the Lakers were too gassed to score and only had two points after regulation. Lonnie Walker IV, who went scoreless in the first half, stepped up in the third, scoring seven and the Lakers went from down by as many as 16 to only eight entering the fourth. It’s been discussed ad nauseam, but if Bron and AD aren’t perfect, the Lakers don’t have a chance, and sometimes even when they are (nearly) perfect, narrow losses are what’s in store.

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images. Pictured: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics and LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers.

They’ve gone under in four of their last five games, and are 11-3 to the under in road games this season. [Lakers](https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/odds/los-angeles-lakers). [Celtics](https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/odds/boston-celtics) vs. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. The rebound-winning team won seven out of the last eight Celtics games. The Lakers also make those shots, ranking eighth in field goal percentage at the rim (68.7%), according to Cleaning the Glass. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. Even without the situational factor, my numbers show a lot of value on the current The Celtics shoot a lot of 3s, which could cause some problems for the Lakers who are only league-average in preventing shots from deep. It’s an extremely tough spot to back the Celtics, despite a much superior roster. The Celtics have been an anomaly so far, going from a historic defense last season, to a historic offense this season. Horford allows the Celtics to play five-out on offense without sacrificing too much defensive versatility.

Find Lakers vs. Celtics predictions, betting odds, moneyline, spread, over/under and more for the December 13 NBA matchup.

What TV channel is the game on? What time will it start? Tuesday's game will tip off at 10:00 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The game ...

But the C’s are on a back-to-back after [losing to the Clippers](https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/12/four-takeaways-as-celtics-lose-to-clippers-113-93-in-another-offensive-dud.html) on Monday as [they look to stop the recent poor play](https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/12/celtics-look-to-maintain-composure-poise-after-missed-calls-from-referees.html). Clippers: Norman Powell (left groin strain) is progressing well in individual workouts, but there’s no timetable for his return. “The last couple games just playing with more pace. Boston fans showed out in the same colored gear as Marcus Smart’s green-hued hair. Celtics: Al Horford (personal reasons) is expected to rejoin the team when it returns home this weekend. Smart finished with three points and five fouls. ... Former Clipper Blake Griffin started in Horford’s place. The game will air on TV via TNT nationwide. [The Celtics ](https://www.masslive.com/celtics/)are looking to get back on track after dropping two straight games for the first time all season. They had won eight of 10, including a loss at Golden State on Saturday. What TV channel is the game on? “It’s just good if both of us are playing aggressive.”

The Lakers (11-15) face Boston (21-7) on Tuesday evening at Crypto.com Arena for the first time this season.

The Lakers don’t have much wing depth to handle them, unless LeBron and AD spend more time on the perimeter than they have all season. And yet, the defense ranked 2nd at 104.7. But in those two losses, none of Boston’s remaining bigs had to deal with a player like Anthony Davis. Patrick Beverley is already playing up a position, essentially starting at small forward and taking on much taller matchups, with Dennis Schröder and Lonnie Walker IV in the backcourt. Alas, Davis came into the road trip in a great groove, and he has yet to leave it: The Celtics have been the NBA’s best team so far this season. Davis had a chance to win the game with a second free throw (he was 13 for 13 before a final miss). The good news has been, with so many offensively-minded, creative players getting minutes, the offense has gone up … He’ll certainly be atop Boston’s scouting report for Tuesday’s action, and double teams might well be coming for the shorthanded-in-the-frontcourt Celtics. did beat Detroit to conclude the trip, bringing an even 3-3 record, but it’s hard not to think of “What if” were Davis not stricken by the sick bug. Prior to L.A.’s 12-day, six-game road trip through the Eastern Conference, Anthony Davis said a successful trip would occur if they had a winning record. The pregame show starts at 6:00 p.m.