Trent Reinsmith
- What: Boston Celtics vs. LA Lakers
- Date: Tuesday, December 13, 2022
- Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA
- Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: TNT
As of this writing, the Boston Celtics are the top team in the NBA. Twenty-seven games into the 2022-23 NBA season, Boston, who represented the Eastern Conference in the 2022 NBA Finals, have a record 0f 21-6. The club hasn’t lost back-to-back games since late October and they sport an 8-2 record over their past 10 games. One of those losses came on Saturday when they fell to Golden State Warriors by a score of 123-107. It was the team’s fourth road loss of the season. Overall, the Celtics have a 10-4 record when they are the away team, which they will be when they face the LA Lakers tonight in the nationally televised game on TNT.
Despite having a lot of name recognition on the roster. the Lakers have a losing record 26 games into their 2023 NBA season. The Lakers are 11-15 overall. However, the LeBron James-led club has a winning record over its past 10 games at 6-4. LA is 6-6 at home this season. The club ended a three-game losing skid in Detroit on Sunday.
Before we dive into the betting breakdown for tonight’s NBA matchup between the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers, check out our guide to betting on the 2023 NBA Finals and our tips for betting on the NBA.
Boston Celtics vs. LA Lakers picks – December 13, 2022
| Teams |  |
| Boston Celtics | -170 |
| LA Lakers | +145 |
Boston Celtics breakdown
The Celtics have been the best team in the NBA for most of the 2023 NBA season. That’s not surprising when the team’s biggest stars, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart are playing at the top their games. Tatum leads the team in points (30.0), rebounds (8.1), blocks (1.0) and minutes (36.7). Brown is contributing 26.8 points per game on 35.6 minutes, while Smart leads the team in assists (7.5) and steals (1.3), while putting up 11.8 points on 32.9 minutes per game.
The Celtics are one of the third highest-scoring road teams this season, with an average of 119 points per game. As for the team’s defensive game on the road, Boston is third in that category as well, allowing 110.3 points per game.
LA Lakers breakdown
The LA Lakers started the 2023 NBA season poorly. The team opened the season with five straight losses. They then won two games in a row, but followed that success with another run of five consecutive setbacks. Things have gone much better for the team since then. The Lakers have a 9-5 record since November 15, but as mentioned above, they just emerged from a three-game losing skid.
If there were any doubts as to who would be the player to watch for the Lakers during the 2023 NBA season, the stat leaderboard should remove those doubts. Anthony Davis leads the team in points (27.7), rebounds (12.4), steals (1.3) and blocks (2.2). He is putting up those numbers on 33.6 minutes per game. LeBron James leads the team in minutes (35.9) and is close to Davis in scoring at 26.2 points per game. Russell Westbrook, who is contributing 14.4 points per game, is the team leader in assists with 7.6.
LA is in the middle of the NBA pack when it comes to scoring at home. The club averages 115.2 points per game. As for the defensive side of the game, LA gives up an average of 111.8 points per game at Crypto.com Arena.
Our pick
The Boston Celtics have been consistent all year. The LA Lakers have not. With that, and the way the Celtics are gelling as a team, the best bet in tonight’s NBA matchup between the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers is to pick the Celtics to win.
Pick: Boston Celtics to beat LA Lakers.
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