Celtics vs. Lakers odds, picks: NBA expert puts 18-9 Celtics record on the line
The latest chapter in one of sports' all-time greatest rivalries tips off Tuesday as the Los Angeles Lakers host the Boston Celtics (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
The Celtics opened as 4.5-point favorites and now are laying five. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 208.5, down from 209.5.
Before picking either side, you need to read what SportsLine NBA expert Larry Hartstein -- who has put together a sizzling 18-9 run picking Celtics games -- has to say.
Last week, he told SportsLine readers to pick Philadelphia at +6 against the Celtics. He astutely noted Boston would struggle mightily with a sidelined Kyrie Irving. The result: The Celtics mustered only 80 points on 41 percent shooting and lost the game, 89-80.
Now, Hartstein, whose success has come thanks to his strong analytical background, has examined every matchup, every player and every trend for Celtics-Lakers and locked in his pick. His 18-9 record is on the line.
He knows the Lakers are 5-0 against the spread in their past five home games, while the Celtics are 1-4 ATS in the past five head-to-head matchups in Los Angeles.
Boston's best shot at covering the spread will be to exploit the paint against the undersized Lakers by getting Jayson Tatum and Al Horford driving to the hoop often. Horford nets about 13 points a game, but is shooting above 50 percent from the field.
But Los Angeles can cover the spread -- and win outright -- by pressuring the struggling Celtics into taking bad perimeter jumpers and igniting run-outs on missed shots. The Lakers took that approach in their previous game against the Knicks and got a slew of layups in a 127-107 rout.
So what side of the Celtics-Lakers do you need to be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see the strong point-spread pick by Larry Hartstein, who has absolutely crushed the NBA, and find out.
The latest chapter in one of sports' all-time greatest rivalries tips off Tuesday as the Los Angeles Lakers host the Boston Celtics (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
The Celtics opened as 4.5-point favorites and now are laying five. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 208.5, down from 209.5.
Before
picking either side, you need to read what SportsLine NBA expert Larry Hartstein -- who has put together a sizzling 18-9 run picking Celtics games -- has to say.
Last week, he told SportsLine readers to pick Philadelphia at +6 against the Celtics. He astutely noted Boston would struggle mightily with a sidelined Kyrie Irving. The result: The Celtics mustered only 80 points on 41 percent shooting and lost the game, 89-80.
Now,
Hartstein, whose success has come thanks to his strong analytical background, has examined every matchup, every player and every trend for Celtics-Lakers and locked in his pick. His 18-9 record is on the line.
He knows the Lakers are 5-0 against the spread in their past five home
games, while the Celtics are 1-4 ATS in the past five head-to-head matchups in Los Angeles.
Boston's best shot at covering the spread will be to exploit the paint against the undersized Lakers by getting Jayson Tatum and Al Horford driving to the hoop often.
Horford nets about 13 points a game, but is shooting above 50 percent from the field.
But Los
Angeles can cover the spread -- and win outright -- by pressuring the struggling Celtics into taking bad perimeter jumpers and igniting run-outs on missed shots. The
Lakers took that approach in their previous game against the Knicks and got a slew of layups in a 127-107 rout.
So what side of the Celtics-Lakers do you need to be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see the strong point-spread pick by Larry Hartstein, who has absolutely crushed the NBA, and find out.
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