The Boston Celtics (31-13) and Los Angeles Lakers (23-18) will meet in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 10:00 p.m. EST at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The game will broadcast live on TNT.
The Celtics are 5-point favorites over the Lakers on the spread (Celtics -5), with the over/under set at 218.5 total points. Boston is a -185 favorite to win outright, while Los Angeles is +154 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Celtics vs. Lakers predictions and NBA picks for Thursday, January 23.
Celtics vs. Lakers Picks, Prediction
Spread
This number is right around where it should be, as my model makes the Celtics a five-point road favorite.
Moneyline
A moneyline around -185 at DraftKings can be intriguing, primarily when you utilize it as part of a same game parlay.
Over/Under
Given my model projection of 220.43 points, I prefer to pass on the total with the market offering a number around 218.5.
My Pick: Celtics -4.5 (-115) at BetMGM
Celtics vs. Lakers Odds
| Celtics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5 -110 | 218.5 -110 / -110 | -185 |
| Lakers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5 -110 | 218.5 -110 / -110 | +154 |
- Celtics vs. Lakers spread: Celtics -5
- Celtics vs. Lakers over/under: 218.5 total points
- Celtics vs. Lakers moneyline: Celtics -185, Lakers +154
- Celtics vs. Lakers best bet: Celtics -4.5 (-115)
My Lakers vs. Celtics best bet is on Boston to cover the spread at -4.5 (-115), with the best line currently available at BetMGM. But as always, make sure to shop for the best line using our live NBA odds page.
Celtics vs. Lakers Preview
It doesn't come entirely as a shock that the Celtics were playing with their food yet again as they held on for a four-point overtime victory over a Clippers team without its two best players, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. With both players ruled out, Boston jumped from a six-point favorite to closing at -12.5 at one sportsbook.
If you're a Clippers fan, you must've liked the depth you saw from your team, considering that they went toe-to-toe with Boston, who failed to build a lead larger than seven points in the game.
To be fair, the Celtics also had two key players, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, who didn't play in the contest.
While Boston has yet to release its injury report for the upcoming game against the Lakers, there is some thought the Celtics didn't feature Porzingis and Holiday against the Clippers to play them on Thursday night.
Despite all the pomp and circumstance of the Clippers' new digs in Inglewood, playing at the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles is still the main attraction for any team visiting Southern California.
As a result, I expect the Celtics to be fully motivated when it comes time to rekindle one of the best rivalries in NBA history.
Boston has won six of the last 10 meetings in this matchup with a 7-3 mark against the spread. It's worth noting that the total went under in three of the four Lakers victories during that span, but Los Angeles has become much worse defensively this season under first-year head coach JJ Redick than we've seen in recent years.
| Season | Defensive Efficiency | Ranking |
| 2022-23 | 113.2 | 12th |
| 2023-24 | 114.8 | 17th |
| 2024-25 | 115.0 | 23rd |
Moreover, the Lakers' Net Rating has plummeted to -2.2, which suggests they're exceptionally fortunate to be five games above .500 at 23-18.
| Season | Net Rating | Ranking |
| 2022-23 | 0.7 | 16th |
| 2023-24 | 0.6 | 19th |
| 2024-25 | -2.2 | 21st |
TeamRankings lists the Lakers as the second-luckiest team with a +3.9 rating, while ESPN's Relative Percent Index projects their record should be closer to 18-23.
Given that the Lakers are more likely to get found out against the top teams in the league, I'm not surprised that they're 0-2 against the spread this season when facing teams with a winning percentage of .700 or higher. I expect that record to drop to 0-3 following a visit from the reigning champions.
Celtics vs. Lakers Prediction
While I like the Celtics to cover the spread, I always like to exercise caution by opting for a moneyline (-185), provided it's not too steep when building my same game parlay at bet365.
With Boston needing to go to overtime to take care of business against the Clippers, I suspect they might look to carefully manage their players' minutes in the second leg of a back-to-back.
Jayson Tatum is one player who particularly comes to mind, considering he led the Celtics with 43 minutes—almost seven more than his season average of 36.5. Tatum has points + rebounds + assists prop of 40.5 (-115), and he has stayed under this number in six straight road games, including his last two meetings against the Lakers.
Given this current trend and the heavy minutes he logged against the Clippers, the Celtics' small forward has a decent chance of staying under this prop.
Lastly, I'll look to target Lakers power forward Rui Hachimura to record at least one turnover (-170). Hachimura has hit this mark in 11 of his last 12 contests at home and 24 of 36 (67%) games overall this season. He recorded at least one turnover in his previous two meetings against the Celtics, and this current crop of players ranks in the top five defensively.
The numbers suggest that the odds are in our favor for Hachimura to turn the ball over, and with a bit of luck, we could be on our way to cashing a same game parlay around +425.
Best Bet: Celtics -4.5 (-115)
Same Game Parlay Picks
- Celtics Moneyline (-185)
- Jayson Tatum Under 40.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-115)
- Rui Hachimura Over 0.5 turnovers (-170)
Parlay Payout: +425
Lakers vs. Celtics Betting Trends
