Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 12/25/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Monday, December 25, 2023

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Spectrum Sportsnet

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (-1)

The Los Angeles Lakers (16-14) welcome the Boston Celtics (22-6) at Crypto.com Arena on Monday. Boston opens this matchup as 1-point favorites from oddsmakers. The over/under comes in at 234.5.

The Celtics played the Clippers and walked away with a win by a score of 145-108 in their last contest. Boston ended the game having earned a 52.1% field goal percentage (49 of 94) and converted 25 out of their 53 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Celtics knocked down 22 of their 28 attempts for a rate of 78.6%. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they earned 51 with 15 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 33 assists for this contest as well as forcing 10 turnovers and earning 4 steals. When talking about the defense, Boston let their opponent shoot 46.1% from the field on 41 of 89 shooting. Los Angeles dished out 25 dimes and had 4 steals for this contest. In addition, Los Angeles grabbed 34 boards (9 offensive, 25 defensive) and got 5 blocked shots. Los Angeles walked away from this one shooting 100.0% at the free throw line by burying 15 of 15 attempts. They knocked down 11 out of their 34 attempts from distance. In reference to personal fouls, the Celtics ended up walking away with 19 and the Clippers totaled 24 personal fouls.

Jayson Tatum is one player who was important for the contest. He ended up with 30 points on 9 out of 16 shooting. He saw the court for 30 minutes and pulled down 5 boards. Tatum ended up going 56.3% from the floor and dished out 2 dimes.

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Boston enters this game with a win-loss mark of 22-6 this year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.3 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 17.6 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Boston is grabbing 47.1 rebounds per game and has earned 713 dimes for the season, which is 23rd in the NBA in terms of passing. The Celtics are connecting on 37.8% on three-point attempts (458 of 1,212) and 80.5% from the charity stripe. They average 119.9 points per contest (6th in the NBA) on 48.0% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Celtics are able to force 12.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.5 personal fouls. They relinquish 37.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 3rd in the league in opponents points per game (109.7). The Celtics defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 44.7% (1,145 of 2,560) and they relinquish 42.9 boards per game as a team. They currently rank 3rd in basketball in allowing assists with 672 surrendered on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Lakers walked away with a victory by a final of 129-120 against the Thunder. The Lakers snagged 36 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 44 for this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while earning 7 steals for the contest. The Thunder had 17 personal fouls for the contest which took the Lakers to the free throw line for a total of 23 attempts. They were able to convert 19 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 82.6%. In terms of shots from 3-point land, Los Angeles converted 16 out of their 32 attempts (50.0%). Overall, the Lakers shot 47 out of 90 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 52.2%. The Lakers allowed the Thunder to make 46 out of their 95 attempts from the field which had them shooting 48.4% in this matchup. They finished 31.7% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 13 of 41 and finished the game at 15 out of 19 from the free throw line (78.9%). When it comes to team rebounding, Los Angeles allowed Oklahoma City to get 42 overall (11 on the offensive glass).

LeBron James ended up being a factor for the Lakers in this game. James earned 40 points in his 37 minutes on the court and tallied 7 dimes in this contest. He knocked down 13 of 20 for the matchup for a rate of 65.0%, and accumulated 7 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a record of 16-14 on the campaign. When it comes to offense, the Lakers are connecting on 48.6% from the field, which is ranked 5th in the league. Los Angeles has 3,421 points for the campaign (114.0 per game) and they pull in 44.1 boards per game. They are earning an assist 27.2 times per contest (8th in the league) and they turn it over 14.2 times per game. The Lakers commit 17.0 fouls per game and they connect on 76.4% from the free throw line.

The Lakers are ranked 16th in the league in points given up per game with 114.2. They are forcing 13.7 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 46.2% from the field (11th in the NBA). The Los Angeles defense allows 37.4% on 3-pointers (421 of 1,126) and their opponents are connecting on 78.3% of their foul shots. They surrender 26.7 dimes and 44.7 rebounds every game, ranking them 18th and 22nd in the league.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Los Angeles (+1)

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