The Los Angeles Lakers (40-21) travel to face off against the Boston Celtics (45-18) on Saturday, March 8th. This game will be played at TD Garden in Boston and televised on ABC. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 8:30 ET.

Lakers vs Celtics

The Lakers Are Coming Off A Win

The Lakers improved to 40-21 on the season with a 113-109 win over the Knicks on Thursday. Playing at home, Los Angeles covered the spread as -2.5 point favorites. The game’s total points of 222 fell short of the 231.5 O/U line.

After leading 31-27 following the 1st quarter, the Lakers fell behind by 8 points after being outscored 33-20 in the 2nd quarter. They edged the Knicks 25-24 in the 3rd and then dominated the 4th, holding New York to 15 points while scoring 23 to complete the comeback.

The Celtics Are Coming Off A Win

Boston improved to 45-18 with a 123-105 win over the 76ers on Thursday. Playing at home, the Celtics were favored by 13.5 points and covered the spread. The combined score of 228 points exceeded the over/under line of 217.5 by 10.5 points.

A key moment came when Boston went on a 10-0 run, extending their lead from 25-19 to 35-19. They outscored the 76ers 35-24 in the 1st quarter and 29-22 in the 2nd. After a 33-33 3rd quarter, the Celtics entered the 4th with a 97-79 lead and maintained their advantage by matching the 76ers with 26 points in the final period.

Lakers Offense Breakdown

Luka Dončić and LeBron James powered the Lakers’ offense in their win over the Knicks, with Dončić posting 32 points, 12 assists, and 7 rebounds, despite shooting just 39.1% from the field. James added 31 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 47.8% overall. The Lakers hit 14 threes at a 33.3% clip, finishing with a 42.7% field goal percentage.

Dončić scored 13 points in the 1st quarter and added 5 more in overtime, while James contributed 8 points in the 4th and 4 more in the extra period. Gabe Vincent hit 4 threes without a miss, scoring 9 of his 12 points in the 4th quarter.

Celtics Offense Breakdown

Jayson Tatum’s 35 points, including 18 in the 1st quarter and 15 in the 3rd, led the Celtics to a 123-105 win over the 76ers. Tatum shot 60.9% from the field, hitting 5 threes at 45.5%.

Boston connected on 19 threes, shooting 39.6% from deep and 50.5% overall. Payton Pritchard added 19 points, with 8 coming in the 4th quarter, while Baylor Scheierman contributed 15 points.

Lakers Team Defense

Despite giving up 33 points in the 2nd quarter, the Lakers’ defense tightened up in the 4th, allowing just 15 points to help secure a 113-109 win over the Knicks. Overall, they held New York to 39% shooting from the field.

Los Angeles was especially effective at defending the three, with the Knicks hitting just 23% of their attempts, including 10 made threes. The Lakers also finished with 7 steals and 4 blocks.

Celtics Team Defense

The Lakers tightened up defensively in the 4th quarter, allowing just 15 points to secure a 113-109 win over the Knicks. Overall, they held New York to 39% shooting from the field.

From beyond the arc, the Lakers limited the Knicks to 10 threes on 23% shooting. They also recorded 7 steals and 4 blocks in the game.

Lakers vs Celtics Trends

• When looking at their past five road matchups, Los Angeles has an ATS record of 4-1 while averaging 120 per game. The team went 4-1 overall in these games.
• In their last five home games, Boston has averaged 113 points per game while allowing 102. The team’s record in this stretch was 4-1 while going 3-2 vs. the spread.
• The Lakers have played well in their last five games as the betting underdog, going 5-0 straight up and 5-0 against the spread.
• The Celtics have played well in their last five games as the betting favorite, going 3-2 straight up and 3-2 against the spread.

Lakers vs Celtics Prediction

We’re putting our money on the Celtics to win, and have the projected score sitting at 137-118. We also like them to cover the spread, so our recommendation is to bet on the Celtics at -7.5.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 226.5 and given that our model is projecting 255 points between the teams, we like the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.