One of the best rivalries in the NBA will add another chapter on Thursday when the Los Angeles Lakers travel to Boston, Massachusetts to face the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden with the game tipping off at 7:30 PM ET and will be game one of the doubleheader on TNT.

Los Angeles is in 9^th place in the Western Conference with a record of 24-25 and is on a two-game losing streak following Tuesday’s 122-138 loss on the road against the Atlanta Hawks. The Lakers have lost their last two games by an average margin of 16 points per game. Los Angeles has been an above-average team offensively as they enter this game averaging 116.32 points per game while having been a below-average team defensively as they are allowing an average of 117.42 points per game. Anthony Davis enters this game averaging a double-double with 24.9 points and 12.1 rebounds per game while also leading the team in blocks with an average of 2.35 blocks per game with the rebounds being tied for the 3^rd most in the NBA and the blocks being the 5^th most in the league this season. The Los Angeles Lakers will look to end their two-game losing streak when they travel to face the Boston Celtics.

The Boston Celtics have the best record in the NBA at 37-11 while having won five of their last six games and are on a two-game winning streak following Tuesday’s 129-124 win at home against the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics have also been the most complete team in the NBA as they have a top 5 team offensively and defensively as they enter this game averaging the 5^th most points per game while allowing the 5^th fewest points per game with an average of 120.4 points per game while allowing an average of 111 points per game. Jayson Tatum has been one of the best players on the team and has played a pivotal role in the success the Celtics have had this season as he leads the team in scoring and rebounds with an average of 26.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while being 2^nd on the team in assists and steals with an average of 4.5 assists and 1.02 steals per game. The Boston Celtics will look to extend their winning streak to three games when they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

BookMaker has the Boston Celtics listed as 10.5-point favorites at home against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Boston has won seven of the last ten including the previous three meetings. The Celtics are 7-2-1 ATS in the last ten while both teams are 1-1-1 ATS in the last three games in the series. The Los Angeles Lakers are 22-28 ATS overall, 9-15 ATS on the road, and 9-11 ATS as an underdog this season while the Boston Celtics are 23-23-2 ATS overall, 13-11 ATS at home, and 22-22-2 ATS as a favorite on the year.

The Boston Celtics enter this game with the league’s best record while the Los Angeles Lakers have a losing record. Boston has been the better team in the series, winning seven of the last ten including three straight against Los Angeles. The Celtics have also been the better team at covering the spread in the series going 7-2-1 ATS in the last ten and have been the slightly better team at covering the spread this season with a record of 23-23-2 ATS overall and 13-11 ATS at home while the Lakers are 22-28 ATS overall and 9-15 ATS on the road which is why I am buying the .5 point and laying the points with the Boston Celtics when they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.