SportsLine's model just revealed its NBA picks and predictions for Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night
Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis hangs from the rim after dunking the ball for a basket in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) AP
The Lakers and Celtics, of course, are longtime bitter rivals. The rivalry came to a head twice in Pierce's Hall of Fame career in the NBA Finals, with the Celtics capturing the title in 2008 and the Lakers defeating the Celtics in '10.
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The Boston Celtics play against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. The Boston Celtics are spending $6,420,130 per win while the Los Angeles Lakers are spending $8,148,828
One of the NBA’s classic rivalries is renewed Thursday night in Los Angeles, as the Lakers play host to the Boston Celtics for an East-West crossover matchup.
The Celtics, including Jaylen Brown, enter Thursday night's game against the Lakers with a clean injury report. Read more on Boston.com.
The Los Angeles Lakers (23-18) are coming off a dominant win over the Washington Wizards (6-36) on Tuesday night, and as they prepare for a major showdown
Boston’s starting five is finding cohesion, and its defense stifled Golden State. The Celtics’ ability to stay consistent will be tested against the Clippers, who sit fifth in the Western Conference standings and sport a 15-7 record at the Intuit Dome.
The Lakers are in fairly good health, and could sneak up on an unwary Boston still processing a near loss vs. the Clips.
The Celtics were a bit short themselves on the front end of the back-to-back with Jrue Holiday and Al Horford out injured and Kristaps Porzingis sidelined by illness. All three could be available for Thursday’s matchup on national TV.