Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 1/23/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Spectrum Sportsnet

The Boston Celtics (30-13) are on their way to Crypto.com Arena on Thursday where they will try to beat the Los Angeles Lakers (23-18).

The Celtics stepped onto the hardwood against the Warriors and went home with a win by a final score of 125-85 in their last game. Regarding personal fouls, the Celtics walked away with 8 while the Warriors recorded 12 personal fouls. They also made 14 of their 53 tries from beyond the perimeter. Golden State finished the contest at 63.6% at the charity stripe by knocking down 7 of their 11 tries. Additionally, Golden State collected 38 rebounds (10 offensive, 28 defensive) and earned 9 blocks. Golden State recorded 28 assists and had 8 steals for the matchup. In reference to defending, Boston allowed the other team to shoot 34.8% from the field on 32 out of 92 shooting. They also distributed 33 assists for this game as well as forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When talking about pulling down boards, they earned a total of 50 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Celtics buried 7 of their 8 attempts for a rate of 87.5%. Boston ended the contest with a 53.3% FG percentage (49 out of 92) and converted 20 of their 48 shots from downtown.

Jayson Tatum is a player who was a major contributor for the game. Tatum finished shooting 45.0% from the field and recorded 7 assists. He played 28 minutes and also pulled down 9 rebounds. He scored 22 points on 9 out of 20 shooting.

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Boston heads into this game with a mark of 30-13 on the season. They have an average of 117.7 pts per game (4th in the league) on 45.9% from the field. The Celtics are hitting 36.3% on 3-point shots (766 of 2,109) and 79.4% from the charity stripe. As a team, Boston is grabbing 45.3 rebounds per game and has racked up 1,095 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 18th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 11.9 times per game and as a team they are committing 16.1 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Celtics have forced 13.5 turnovers per game while drawing 18.6 personal fouls. They surrender 34.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 7th in basketball in points per game allowed (108.1). The Celtics defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 45.1% (1,741 of 3,863) and they relinquish 44.4 boards per game as a basketball team. They are 6th in the NBA in giving up assists with 1,041 relinquished for the season.

The last time they took the court, the Lakers walked away with a victory by a final of 111-88 when they played the Wizards. In the matter of rebounds, Los Angeles allowed Washington to snag 46 in all (9 offensive). They finished 25.6% from distance by hitting 11 of 43 and ended up shooting 9 out of 13 at the charity stripe (69.2%). The Lakers allowed the Wizards to convert 34 of their 95 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 35.8% in this game. At the conclusion of this game, the Lakers ended up shooting 43 out of 90 from the floor which gave them a rate of 47.8%. When it comes to shooting from beyond the arc, Los Angeles buried 11 out of 34 attempts (32.4%). They were able to make 14 of them for a rate of 77.8%. The Wizards earned 18 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Lakers to the free throw line for 18 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while getting 6 steals for the game. The Lakers recorded 43 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 50 in this matchup.

Anthony Davis ended up having an impact for the Lakers in the game. He buried 14 out of 22 for this contest giving him a rate of 63.6%, and accumulated 16 rebounds. Davis recorded 29 points in his 32 mins of playing time and had 5 assists in this contest.

Los Angeles has a record of 23-18 for the year. As an offensive unit, the Lakers are shooting 47.4% from the floor, which ranks them 10th in the league. Los Angeles has accounted for 4,560 points on the year (111.2 per contest) and they collect 41.0 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 26.4 times per contest (13th in basketball) and they cough up possession 13.4 times per game. The Lakers have committed 16.0 fouls per game while shooting 78.7% from the free throw line.

The Los Angeles defense concedes 36.3% on shots from behind the 3-point line (549 of 1,512) and opponents are knocking down 78.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 27.8 dimes and 43.9 total boards per game, which ranks 24th and 13th in basketball. The Lakers defensively are ranked 18th in the NBA in points per game surrendered with 113.2. They are forcing 14.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 47.7% from the field (26th in the NBA).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Boston

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