The Los Angeles Lakers (16-5) and Boston Celtics (13-9) will meet in the NBA on Friday night. Tipoff from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts is set for 7:00 p.m. ET. The game will broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video.
The Celtics are 8.5-point favorites over the Lakers on the spread, with the over/under set at 228.5 total points. Boston is a -310 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Los Angeles is +255 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Lakers vs. Celtics predictions and NBA picks for Friday, December 5.
Lakers vs Celtics Prediction, Picks
- Lakers vs Celtics pick: Over 228.5 (-110)
My Celtics vs. Lakers best bet is on the over, with the best price currently available at bet365. However, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Lakers vs Celtics Odds for Friday, December 5
| Lakers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -110 | 228.5 -110 / -110 | +255 |
| Celtics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -110 | 228.5 -110 / -110 | -310 |
Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics NBA Preview
I want to take the Lakers moneyline so badly.
JJ Redick is incredible in bad rest spots. He’s 11-7 ATS on a back-to-back and 6-4 ATS on a road back-to-back.
Even with the likely absences of Luka Doncic and LeBron James, this reeks of a game where Boston, after an impressive winning streak, gets caught by a random team of role players and Austin Reaves.
However, the odds of Doncic playing are slim, and James hasn’t been ruled out yet.
At Lakers +6.5, this is likely a halfway line where it will move once Doncic and James are announced out.
So, not only is this not the right time to bet it, but with those absences, I power rate this at Celtics -8.7.
I need double-digits on the spread to really pique my interest.
Lakers vs Celtics Betting Predictions, Analysis
Instead, I’m taking the over.
When Luka Doncic does not play this season, the over is 5-0.
The Lakers have enough firepower to score, even against a pretty good Boston defense.
The average total when Doncic plays is 231, it drops by five points without Doncic.
At 225.5, this is well below that, and I project this all the way up at 235.
Side note: If Doncic somehow makes it back from what is presumably the birth of his child to play in this game, I’ll come back in on the under for a middle opportunity.
The trends support playing the under in JJ Redick back-to-backs and road spots.
I specifically like the over in the event that Luka is out for this game. I’ll also want Lakers moneyline in the event that happens, regardless of what LeBron does.
Lakers vs Celtics Best Bet
- Over 228.5 (-110)
Celtics vs Lakers Betting Trends
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