Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 4/15/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Thursday, April 15, 2021

Location: STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Spectrum Sportsnet

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (-6)

The Boston Celtics (28-26) head to STAPLES Center on Thursday where they'll take on the Los Angeles Lakers (33-21). Boston opens this game as 6-point favorites. The total opens at 211.5.

The Boston Celtics faced off with the Denver Nuggets and took home the win by a score of 105-87 in their last contest. Boston ended the contest with a 44.8% field goal percentage (39 out of 87) and buried 7 of 33 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Celtics converted 20 of 23 attempts for a rate of 87.0%. When it comes to pulling down boards, they earned 52 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 20 assists in this matchup while creating 9 turnovers and earning 4 steals. When it comes to the defense, Boston allowed their opponent to shoot 36.4% from the floor on 32 of 88 shooting. Denver earned 23 dimes and had 5 steals for the matchup. On top of that, Denver snagged 46 rebounds (13 offensive, 33 defensive) and earned 7 blocked shots. Denver went 83.3% at the free throw line by making 15 of 18 shots. They buried 8 of 34 tries from 3-point range.

Jayson Tatum is a guy who was a major factor in the game. He accounted for 28 points on 9 of 23 shooting. He saw the court for 33:25 minutes and pulled down 10 boards. Tatum ended up going 39.1% from the floor and earned 2 assists. One more player that was a factor in this matchup for the Celtics was Jaylen Brown. He pulled down 8 rebounds in 35:57 minutes on the hardwood. He finished the game shooting 53.3% from the floor for this game by shooting 8-of-15 (20 points). When the time ran out, Brown accounted for 3 assists.

Boston will play this contest with a win-loss record of 28-26 for the year. The Celtics are connecting on 37.4% on shots from beyond the arc (713 of 1,908) and 77.1% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 112.4 points per outing (15th in basketball) while hitting 46.9% from the field. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.0 times per contest and as a squad are committing 20.6 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Boston is pulling down 44.1 boards per game and has accounted for 1,254 dimes for the season, which has them ranked 23rd in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. On the defensive end of the court, the Celtics are forcing their opponents into 14.3 turnovers every game while drawing 19.3 fouls. The Celtics defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 46.3% (772 of 1,042) and they surrender 42.2 rebounds per game as a squad. They currently rank 7th in the league in allowing assists to their opponents with 1,269 surrendered so far this year. They are giving up 37.1% on 3-point attempts while they are 10th in basketball in PPG allowed (110.4).

The last time they took the court, the Los Angeles Lakers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 111-96 against the New York Knicks. The Lakers recorded 29 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards totaling 33 in this matchup. They gave up possession 24 times, while recording 5 steals in this contest. The Knicks earned 20 personal fouls in this game which got the Lakers to the free throw line for a total of 18 attempts. They were able to make 14 of the free throws for a percentage of 77.8%. In relation to three-point attempts, Los Angeles buried 12 out of their 36 tries (33.3%). When the game finished, the Lakers went 35 for 80 from the field which gave them a percentage of 43.8%. The Lakers permitted the Knicks to convert 42 out of their 89 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.2% in this matchup. They finished shooting 18.5% from 3-point land by going 5 out of 27 and ended up going 22 of 27 from the free throw line (81.5%). When discussing cleaning up the glass, Los Angeles allowed New York to collect 47 overall (15 offensive).

Dennis Schröder ended up being important for the Lakers for the contest. He made 7 out of 13 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 53.8%, and earned 3 rebounds. Schröder totaled 21 points in his 36:41 mins of playing time and totaled 6 dimes in this contest. One more player that was important for Los Angeles was Markieff Morris. He left the arena with 4 dimes in his 26:56 minutes played, and he shot 7 out of 11 from the floor. Morris ended up shooting 63.6% from the field as well as collecting 17 points and 2 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a mark of 33-21 so far this year. Los Angeles has accounted for 5,937 points so far this year (109.9 per contest) and they grab 44.9 boards per game. The Lakers have committed 19.2 personal fouls per contest while shooting 74.3% from the charity stripe. As an offensive unit, the Lakers are hitting on 47.6% from the field, which is ranked 10th in the NBA. They are dishing out assists 24.6 times per contest (16th in basketball) and they are turning it over 15.9 times per game. The Lakers on the defensive end are ranked 2nd in the NBA in points given up per game with 105.9. They are forcing 15.2 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 45.4% from the floor (6th in basketball). The Los Angeles defense gives up 34.5% on 3-point attempts (603 of 1,748) and their opposition makes 76.9% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 24.5 dimes and 42.0 rebounds every game, which is 12th and 4th in basketball.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Boston (-6)

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