The Boston Celtics (35-15, 25-24-1 ATS) welcome the Los Angeles Lakers (23-26, 23-24-2) to TD Garden on Saturday. The hosts will look to snap a three-game slide while the Lakers come in with four wins in their last six outings.
The Celtics opened as the 7-point favorite at home with the total set at 238 points. Boston has won three of its last four meetings against Los Angeles while also going 7-1 in its last eight home contests. Meanwhile, the OVER is 8-10 in the last 10 meetings between the two teams.
Latest Betting Notes: Lakers
The Lakers earned a win in their last outing, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 113-104 on Wednesday. Anthony Davis (21 points, 12 rebounds) and LeBron James (20 points, 11 assists) each posted a double-double to lead Los Angeles to victory, while Keldon Johnson topped San Antonio with 25 points.
Wednesday’s win marked Davis’ first game back since December 16 as the power forward was sidelined with a foot injury. Davis, who is still experiencing some pain in his foot, is listed as probable for Saturday.
James has been on a heater this month in Davis’ absence, averaging 33.6 points per game, but is listed as questionable with a sore ankle.
Latest Betting Notes: Celtics
The Celtics were handed a third straight loss on Thursday as they fell 120-117 to the New York Knicks in overtime. Jayson Tatum had a huge night with 35 points and 14 rebounds while Jaylen Brown added 22 points of his own for the C’s. Julius Randle scored a game-high 37 points to carry his Knicks to the win.
Boston is mired in just its second three-game losing streak of the season with their prior skid coming from December 16-21. Offense has been the main issue during this slide as the Celtics scored just 98 points in each of their first two defeats.
Lakers Player Prop: James OVER 31 Points (+110)
James has been playing through an ankle issue but it clearly hasn’t slowed him down as the Lakers star is having his most productive month of the season. James has scored 30-plus points in eight of his last 12 outings, with four of those being 40-plus point performances.
If there’s one thing going against him, it’s that Boston owns the eighth-best defense in the NBA, allowing 112.1 points per game. James did score 33 points in the first meeting between the teams on December 13, though, so he’s certainly still capable of running it up against the Celtics.
Celtics Player Prop: Tatum OVER 33 Points (+100)
Tatum has been hot all month long and has been one of the few consistent producers for the Celtics during their three-game slide. The small forward is averaging 31.4 points per game in January and has led Boston in scoring in 10 of the team’s last 12 contests.
Tatum has recorded at least 30 points in eight of his last 10 outings and he’ll be coming up against a Lakers squad that ranks tied for fourth last in team defense, so there’s a pretty good chance he hits the OVER on 33 points.
