Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers - Free NBA Betting Tips

Simply put, this is the biggest rivalry in basketball, a long and storied history between the two teams started in the 1960s where the Lakers made it to six Championship Finals, and lost every single one, to the Celtics.

Between the the Lakers (17) and the Celtics (18) have 35 titles, in 77 seasons of NBA (Lakers also have an NBL title), and have faced each other 12 times in the Championship Finals, with Boston holding a commanding lead 9-3.

This season however, both teams are having seasons with a degree of worry, but different scales of worry.

The sportsbooks have Boston listed as 5.5 point favourites at odds of 1.52, expecting a moderately scoring game with the total set at 220.5.

Boston are 2nd in the Eastern Conference, not a position they are used to being in. Cleveland are ruling the roost in the East and the Celtics are 5.5 games behind with a 31-13 (71%) record. Boston are stronger on the road (16-5) than at home court (15-8), and have a 6-4 L10 record, on a W2 streak.

The Lakers are 5th in the Western Conference, 23-18 (56%), with a significantly stronger home record (15-6) than road record (8-12). 5-5 in their L10 on a W1 steak.

Both teams are 3-2 in their last 5, Boston beating LAC 117-113 in their last game, just 24 hours before the Lakers game. Lakers travelled to the East coast 48 hours ago to beat Washington 111-88.

This is the first of only two meetings between these rivals this season (early March for the rematch in Boston) previous games between the two saw LAL win by 9 in Feb 24, BOS by 11 in Dec 23, and BOS by 4 in Jan 23. So not much to go on there.

Lets take a look at what the tipping sites are saying about this monster game.

(Our Player Prop Bet Tips are further down this page)

Dimers - Celtics moneyline
Clutch Points - Celtics -5.5, Over 220.5
Pickswise - Celtics -5
Sportskeeda - Celtics -5.5
Betting Odds - Celtics moneyline
Sportsline - projecting a 117-107 scoreline in favour of Boston, with small bet recommendations on Boston -5, Boston moneyline, and over 221.5.

The Lakers have struggled against top 4 sides from either coast at home this season, losing twice to the Cavs, and once to the Grizzlies, Thunder and Rockets. We can't see a win for the Lakers here, so we won't be value betting, we are going to snap up Boston -5.5 before it goes up a point, and also an Over bet at 220.5, again before that rises.