NBA Thursday heats up with the Los Angeles Lakers traveling across the country to take on the Boston Celtics. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. tipoff and it will be televised nationally on TNT. Currently the odds for this contest have the Celtics favored by 3 points with the total sitting at 175 points. In the first of two games this year in the series, the Celtics will be looking to hold down home court.
Free Analysis: The Lakers have been absolutely awful on the road this season, going just 3-9 overall away from Los Angeles. Boston, on the other hand, has had a modest start to the season with a 14-10 record overall and 10-6 at home. But they have won five in a row. Both teams are currently in second place in their regular divisions, but neither team is having the season they've wanted to date. There's been a lot of talk about blowing up the Celtics and trading off parts, but come playoff time they still could be a dangerous club. The Lakers have had a strange season with all the trade talk, injuries and struggles on the road. So, just because we have two struggling teams that aren't having the seasons they expected we're not supposed to care? Tell that to the guys playing tonight. This game will be entertaining and most likely well played. Defense should be a big key for LA tonight as they surrender 97.2 points on the road compared to just 85.2 at home. That's a big spread. The Celtics want to keep opponents from running and are one of the league's top defensive scoring teams at 86.5 per game, but they also have one of the lowest-scoring offenses (90.8 ppg) in the NBA. Los Angeles has won three straight and five of six in Boston during the regular season. The two clubs met only twice last season as well. In Boston, Kobe Bryant scored 23 and Pau Gasol finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 92-86 victory for the Lakers. Home court wasn't a big deal in the mini series as the Celtics won a game at the Staples Center, knocking off LA 109-96 as Paul Pierce scored 32 and Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 13 boards to withstand a 41-point performance from Bryant. The Celtics have trailed for less than five minutes through all of their fourth quarters during the five-game win streak they are currently on, meaning they are still playing well in crunch time, which could bode well for them tonight. Rebounding, though, will be the biggest key to tonight's game. The Lakers are one of the best teams in the NBA in rebounding at more than 44 per game. The Celtics struggled on the glass, coming in as one of the worst teams in the league at under 39 per contest. Boston is playing extremely well right now while Bryant and the Lakers have stumbled, especially on the road.
Free Pick: I like Boston in this game, especially with how they are currently playing. They've won five in a row and have beaten the likes of Toronto, the Knicks, Grizzlies and Bobcats at home. Obviously the Lakers are better than each of those teams, but believe that both teams will be ready to go in this game. It's a nationally televised game on a Thursday night, a premier night in the Association. I'm expecting the Celtics to continue to play at a high level and beat the struggling Lakers at home.
Free Picks: Lakers at Celtics Betting
Lakers in better scheduling spot and Celtics are playing best ball of year winning 9 of last 10 plus other factors NBA bettors need to know about Lakers at Celtics (Friday, February 10, 2012) from Pregame.com - Including predictions from Stephen Nover and analysis from host Marco D'Angelo.