A matchup of two historic franchises takes place under the bright lights of the NBA on TNT on Thursday night as the Boston Celtics welcome the Los Angeles Lakers to TD Garden. We have searched through the NBA odds to find you the best bet for this matchup.
The Lakers are below .500 on the season, LeBron James is dropping cryptic tweets in the middle of the night, and we also learned that "LeSquare" has partnered with DraftKings to bet on the NFL next season. Plus, James and Anthony Davis are taking a night off. Other than that, everything is completely normal for the Lakers.
The King might have a fresh new sponsorship for betting, but we will be looking to win units on the Unicorn on Thursday.
Find out which NBA player prop I'm targeting in my free NBA picks for Lakers vs. Celtics on Thursday, February 1.
Lakers vs Celtics odds
Lakers vs Celtics predictions
The Los Angeles Lakers are reeling, sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference, and with the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors behind them in the standings, there's a very real possibility they may even miss the Play-In Tournament.
One thing that has stood out when watching the Lakers in their last two games is how horrific their defense is and how many assists they are allowing to opposing frontcourts. In the Lakers' most recent game against the Rockets, Jabari Smith Jr. was trading with an assists total of 1.5 (+150) and went well over with four dimes. He wasn't the only player on the Rockets who did this, as Alperen Sengun went over his assist total of 4.5 with seven helpers. Both Rockets players in the frontcourt accomplished this too, while point guard Fred VanVleet also dropped 14 dimes.
In the Lakers' game on Tuesday against the Hawks, I attacked this angle with a Clint Capela Over 0.5 assists, and it hit. Yes, even Capela was able to drop a dime against this Lakers defense.
This leads me to Thursday's bet of Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis for 3+ assists. Porzingis is a better passer than he gets credit for, and when you're passing to teammates such as Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, those potential assists start to get converted at a pretty high rate.
The Lakers' defense is in a bad way at the moment, and it won't get any easier with Anthony Davis and LeBron James both out of the lineup. This game could turn into a layup line for the Celtics' offense, with Porzingis easily finding cutters who can finish at the rim.
This is an alternate total for Porzingis, as the actual Kristaps Porizngis odds are Over 1.5 assists at -189. This number is also worth a bet as it shows a slight edge, but our expected value is almost six times higher by going after the alternate line.
Porzingis is projected to have 2.4 assists against the Lakers on Thursday, allowing us to price the 3-plus assists at +133, and this bet is showing a positive expected value of 14%.
My best bet: Kristaps Porzingis 3+ assists (+165 at bet365)
Lakers vs Celtics same-game parlay
Kristaps Porzingis 3+ assists
Kristaps Porzingis Over 19.5 points
Lakers +14.5
Our best bet is on Porzingis to have 3-plus assists on Thursday against the Lakers, but I don't think it will only be his passing that torches the Lakers' defense. Porzingis will be just an all-around matchup nightmare for the Lakers without Davis in the lineup, which means the Celtics should be trying to get their big man plenty of touches. For this reason, I'm pairing the alternate Over for assists for Porzingis with the Over on his points prop as well. I'm expecting a big game for the Unicorn against this depleted Lakers lineup.
I'm also rolling with the Lakers +14.5 on the spread with these two bets because we are going to need a competitive game for Porzingis to hit the Over on his assists props. This is an alternate total for Porzingis, which means we need him to play his full allotment of minutes. If the game is a blowout and Porzingis sits out in the fourth quarter, it will be very difficult for us to also cash the alternate Over on Porzingis' assists prop.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Lakers vs Celtics spread and Over/Under analysis
The Celtics opened as a 9.5-point favorite on FanDuel and are now trading as a 14-point home favorite. The line has seen a ton of movement since the opener because James and Davis have both been ruled out for the Lakers.
The total opened at DraftKings at 240, and while it did climb as high as 242, the announcement that James and Davis are both out has sent the total back down closer to the opening number. Make sure to shop around for the best number if betting on the total. The market is still adjusting to the injury news, and you can find anywhere from 240 to 241.5 available.
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Lakers vs Celtics betting trend to know
The Boston Celtics have hit the Moneyline in 22 of their last 24 games at home (+16.70 Units / 13% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Celtics.
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Lakers vs Celtics game info
| Location: | TD Garden, Boston, MA |
| Date: | Thursday, February 1, 2024 |
| Tip-off: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT |
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