Boston Celtics (37-11) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (24-25) Game #49 2/1/24
For their final game of the season, the Celtics take on the Lakers with the goal of defeating their enduring rivals 2-0.
For their second and final game of the regular season, the Celtics will host the Lakers; however, this match will not have the same intensity as previous ones due to the legendary rivalry.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the two main players for the Lakers, are both out due to injury, so the Celtics will be ahead early on.
The Lakers and Celtics have recently been taking different routes. The Celtics are five games ahead of the opposition and hold the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Most recently, they have won both ends of a back-to-back to bounce back from an embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Celtics have an incredible 22-2 home record and are on track to win more than 60 games for the first time since 2009, despite this worrying loss.
Conversely, the Lakers, who are far less cool, look elsewhere for solutions. A fresh rumor regarding head coach Darvin Ham’s job security appears every day, sparked by cryptic remarks and tweets from players on the team. The Lakers, who are often the talk of the town, have not enjoyed being in a tie with the Utah Jazz for the final Western Conference play-in position lately.
While Los Angeles recently defeated Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in double overtime in one of the best games of the year, the week hasn’t been consistent overall. The Lakers’ thrilling victory was followed by two consecutive listless losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets, two less-than-scary opponents who just outworked and outhustled the worn-out Lakers.
The betting and analytics communities still heavily favor the Celtics despite their past encounters. This is mostly because James and Davis, who were both declared out of the game at 2:30 pm EST, did not show up for the game.
Conversely, the Celtics should have a full roster for this game, with the exception of Luke Kornet, who is classified as questionable due to a hamstring ailment. When the two teams last played on Christmas Day, the Celtics prevailed 126-115 despite terrible shooting statistics overall and a 40-point effort from Davis.
