NBA Christmas Day – Celtics vs. Lakers Odds, Preview, and Prediction

Continuing on the Boston sports Christmas weekend fun, the Celtics’ West Coast road trip moves forward on Monday afternoon as they’ll take on their rival Lakers in Los Angeles.

Here are the odds for Monday afternoon’s contest, according to FanDuel Sportsbook:

Celtics @ Lakers – 5:10 p.m.

Spread: Celtics -3

Moneyline: Celtics -152/Lakers +128

Total: 234.5

Storylines

We’re taking a page out of the Peter King book here and previewing this one with some bold-faced names and quick hitters:

— Boston comes into this one with a 22-6 record (14-0 at home, 8-6 on the road), holding the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and coming off of a monstrous 145-108 win over the Clippers.

— As for the Lakers, they won the inaugural 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament back in early December, but sit with a 16-14 record through 30 games and are fighting for a play-in seed as we approach the New Year.

— Jayson Tatum (+2800) has the sixth shortest odds to win the NBA MVP award according to FanDuel. He sits behind Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetekounmpo.

— The Celtics current win total sits at O/U 59.5 at FanDuel. The OVER is juiced to -180.

— The Lakers current win total sits at 46.5, with the UNDER juiced to -130.

— Doc Rivers, who coached the Celtics for nine seasons and won a championship in 2008, will be on the call for ESPN. This has been fantastic for me,” Rivers told The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn of his new role in the booth this week. “I get to reevaluate the league. When you’re coaching in one spot, you don’t get to see the league and evaluate talent and teams and coaches. It’s nice to take a bigger-picture look at the league. So it’s been a joy for me. I love it. I love it. I’ve had a great time.”

Prediction & Pick

The Celtics are 7-1 since their In-Season Tournament loss to the Pacers on December 4, while the Lakers have lost 4 of their last 5. On top of this, Boston is averaging just over 138 points per game over their last three, while Los Angeles is allowing 121 over their last six.

I’m taking the hot team on the road in this one. Celtics win and cover and the total goes over.

Score: Celtics 121 – Lakers 115

Side: Celtics -2

Total: OVER 234.5

Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick and head to FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook, for all of your sports wagering.