Celtics vs Lakers Matchup Stats: Historic Rivals Remain Tightly Matched

Despite Standings and Betting Odds

Boston Favored To “Beat L.A.” in 371st Meeting

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers renew their historic rivalry this Tuesday night. Even with no rest, the Celtics are favored by 3.5 points on the NBA betting odds (-155 on the moneyline). The Lakers, with a comeback of +135, could pull off an upset, especially in light of these recent Celtics vs Lakers matchup stats. Boston and Los Angeles have split their season series (1-1) in the last five seasons.

Game Information

Boston Celtics (21-7) vs Los Angeles Lakers (11-15)

Date & Time & Streaming:
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles

The Narratives Behind Both Teams at This Point

At this point in the 2022-23 NBA season, only one team resembles its dynasty years: the Celtics. While it’s the Lakers that have a recently won NBA Championship (2020), Boston is the one that has stayed elite in the last few seasons. The Celtics currently have the best record in the NBA and are top-three on the NBA spreads (63 percent cover rate).

Not only does Boston have the best offense in the NBA (119.3) but their defense has begun to pick it up. Jayson Tatum leads the charge in the Celtics’ elite two-way play as the near-30 points-per-game scorer is also the team’s top defender.

“He’s just so talented,” said Marcus Smart. “He’s figuring out how best to help this team, how to lead. He’s a little more vocal now, which is good for us.”

But the Lakers, on the other hand, are average at best on both ends. Los Angeles is 21st in offensive rating (110.6) and 14th in defensive rating (111.8). Most notably, the team is just 5-14 against teams at .500 and above. In comparison, Boston is 10-3. The Lakers lose to most playoff-caliber teams while Boston is a perfect 5-0 against the top five teams of the Western Conference.

Thus, betting on an NBA matchup involving the Lakers is straightforward: fade them as an underdog and bet them as a favorite. And yet for Lakers fans, the concern is that the team is healthy and still not winning at a level they’re used to.

Celtics-Lakers: A By-The-Numbers Look

From a general sense, the Celtics vs Lakers matchup stats don’t bode well for the home team. Boston has the edge in most stats including scoring, rebounding, and shooting percent. The Celtics have outscored the Lakers 116.1 to 109.5 in their last 10 meetings.

Boston has also covered the spread in seven of their last 10 games even if these rivals are 5-5 on the moneyline. In the last five games, the favorite has prevailed as well. In fact, favorites are 7-3 in this span. The Lakers are 2-3 as one.

Another Celtics vs Lakers matchup stat worth looking into is the total. Seven of their last 10 games have gone over the total including four of their last five games in L.A. At least one team has scored over the 110-point mark in seven of their last eight meetings. That means these NBA teams, even when they sport top-tier defenses, have a penchant to pour on the scoring.

Tatum torched the Lakers last season to the tune of 35.5 points and 9.5 boards. LeBron James was on fire as well as he averaged 26.5 points on a whopping 65.7 percent shooting. With these lofty stats, it’s possible to see the two regress to a more sustainable number. But that’s hard to see given how Tatum is on a mission following their NBA Finals loss.

“It’s hard getting to this point. It’s even harder getting over the hump and winning it. It’s been a long journey, a long process,” Tatum said after the NBA Finals. “That’s what I took from it: It’s tough. You’ve got to take it up another level to do what we want to do.”

Whether it’s the narrative or the stats, the Celtics are the clear-cut favorites here. They will be at a “rest disadvantage” versus the Lakers but they are 17-11-0 against the spread (ATS) operating at this condition since last season.

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