The 2021-22 NBA season continues with the marquee interconference matchup at Staples Center in LA on Tuesday, December 7, so we’ve prepared the best Celtics vs. Lakers betting pick along with the latest odds update on MyBookie Sportsbook.

Boston and Los Angeles wrap up their regular-season series, as the Celtics trounced the Lakers 130-108 as small 1-point home favorites on November 19. The Lakers are still without Trevor Ariza (ankle) and Kendrick Nunn (knee), while the Celtics could miss Jaylen Brown (hamstring).

The Celtics smashed Portland on the road

The Boston Celtics started a five-game road trip with a 137-130 defeat at the Utah Jazz this past Friday. Playing without Jaylen Brown, the Celtics had to lean on Jayson Tatum, who had 37 points on 12-for-25 shooting from the field, but Boston couldn’t cope with Utah’s red-hot offense that made 55.6% of its field goals and 52.9% of its triples.

Boston bounced back on the second day of a back-to-back set, trouncing the Portland Trail Blazers 145-117 as 1-point road dogs this past Saturday. The Celtics went 21-of-37 from downtown and dominated the Trail Blazers from start to finish, while Tatum and Dennis Schroder accounted for 31 points each.

Over their last four outings, the Celtics have gone 3-1 SU and ATS, making 48.1% of their field goals and 42.0% of their 3-pointers. Boston has struggled shooting the ball so far this season. The Celtics rank 21st in the league in field goal percentage (44.3%) and 20th in 3-point percentage (33.9%).

The Lakers’ iffy form continues

The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a tough 119-115 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers this past Friday. Playing as small 2.5-point home favorites, the Lakers failed to extend their winning streak to three games. They’ve dropped three of their previous six contests overall and are only 4-6 SU and 3-7 ATS over the previous ten.

The Lakers outrebounded the Clippers 43-34 and posted 13 offensive rebounds, but they missed eight of their 21 free-throw attempts and just couldn’t make the stops down the stretch. Anthony Davis led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while LeBron James added 23 points, 11 boards, and six assists.

Los Angeles is tallying only 107.1 points per 100 possessions (tied-23rd in the NBA) on 46.3% shooting from the field (9th) and 34.8% from beyond the 3-point line (14th). The Lakers are yielding 108.8 points in a return (16th) on 45.3% shooting from the field (18th).

Trends:

Boston:

  • 11-6 ATS in the last 17 games overall
  • 6-0 ATS in the last six games against the Lakers

Los Angeles:

  • 2-6 ATS in the last eight games overall
  • 1-4 ATS in the last five games against the Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers Pick

This should be a tight encounter even though the Celtics look like a better team than the Lakers. Boston will probably miss one of its best players, but the Celtics have just destroyed the Trail Blazers without Jaylen Brown in the lineup. On the other side, the Lakers should be fired up to make amends for that painful loss to the Clippers.

Tuesday’s clash at Staples Center could easily go either way. I’m backing the Celtics because they’ve played very well against the Lakers over the last two years, and just a few weeks ago, Boston has battered LA on the home court.

Pick: Take Boston Celtics                  

The Total:

The first duel of the season between the Celtics and Lakers has been a proper high-scoring affair, while the over has hit in seven of the last eight meetings between Boston and Los Angeles.

The Lakers are playing at the second-fastest pace in the league, registering 101.2 possessions per 48 minutes. Their last five games have gone over the total. On the other side, the Celtics are tallying only 96.8 possessions per 48 minutes.

Pick: Go over