Germantas Kneita
Show Bio
Tonight we will get to see yet another chapter in one of the oldest rivalries in the NBA. The Boston Celtics will be traveling to take on the Los Angeles Lakers, with neither team likely being happy with its current standing. Both teams are likely aiming for home-court advantage in the playoffs but currently find themselves closer to the play-in positions. A win tonight could help propel either team in the right direction.
You can find our full game previews for tonight’s games here, but now let’s take a look at my same game parlay.
Boston Celtics ML (+118)
Jayson Tatum over 27.5 points (-106)
Marcus Smart over 11.5 points (-118)
LeBron James over 2.5 made threes (+100)
Parlay odds: +1194
Boston Celtics ML (+118)
The Celtics were able to beat the Lakers in their last meeting by 22 points and could be set to have another strong performance here. They are the team in better form as they have now won 6 of their last 10 games, compared to the 4 for the Lakers over that same stretch. They currently rank higher in both offensive and defensive rating in the league and it is tough to see them drop off enough here to lose to the Lakers. Back the Celtics.
Jayson Tatum over 27.5 points (-106)
Jayson Tatum has been playing terrific basketball. He has scored 30 or more points in 6 of his last 10 games, including 37 points against the Lakers in their last meeting. He has scored 31 and 37 in his last 2 road games going into tonight’s visit to Los Angeles. With the pace the Lakers play at there should be plenty of opportunities for Tatum to get his shots off tonight. They also have a real lack of a quality wing defender with the size to impact his shots. LeBron James would have the potential to do so, but considering his age and the fact that this is the regular season I cannot see him locking onto Tatum. Back the over on this one.
Marcus Smart over 11.5 points (-118)
With Jaylen Brown listed as day-to-day and potentially missing his third game in a row, Marcus Smart has a great chance to clear this line tonight. He has scored 12 or more points in 5 of his last 6 games and if Brown is out, he could see an extended role. In such role he was able to score 22 points against the Lakers in their last meeting. They are a great opponent for him as the Lakers are 29th in the league in opponent points in the paint and 27th in opponents fast break points. Considering Smart is shooting 30% percent from deep, it will work in his advantage here that he is likely to have success in transition and in the paint.
LeBron James over 2.5 made threes (+100)
With James shooting the best 3-point percentage of any Lakers starter, he has been thrust into a marksmen role, and he has been launching shots from deep as a result. Over his last 4 games, the 8 treys he attempted in his last outing against the Pistons were his fewest. While he did fail to hit 3 shots from deep in two of those games, percentages suggest that is unlikely to continue. He is making 33.7% of his attempts this season, so games where he shot 2 of 13 against the Kings are an anomaly. With him hitting this over in their last game against the Celtics and with tonight’s opponents 18th in the league in opponent 3-pointers per game, he should also hit this here.
Pickswise is the home of free NBA picks and predictions. Make sure to also check out our NBA parlays and NBA prop bets tabs for more expert picks.
