The Los Angeles Lakers take on a familiar face in Dennis Schroder as they are on the road against the Boston Celtics on Friday night. It is the most storied rivalry in basketball, although it has lost a bit of flare as both teams are struggling.
We might not even see the best version of either team on Friday night. LeBron James is still listed as questionable, although the team is giving hints that he might play. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown has been declared out while Robert Williams and Schroder are listed as questionable.
Laker fans definitely want to see Schroder play in the first game against their former point guard. Schroder infamously turned down an $84 million extension from the Lakers only to see his free-agent value dwindle before signing a one-year, $5.9 million deal with the Celtics. Being able to beat Schroder and the Celtics would be the icing on the cake.
This is a tough game to predict with all of the injury variables but you know we are going to try our best!
Lakers vs Celtics odds, spread, over/under:
According to WynnBET, the Los Angeles Lakers enter this game as one-point underdogs against the Boston Celtics, making them a +102 moneyline dog while the Celtics are a -122 favorite. The over/under for the game has been set at 214.5 points.
One point might not seem like enough for a struggling Lakers team on the road but it is not like Boston has been great either. The Celtics 7-8 on the season and are also dealing with a bit of an identity crisis, like LA.
Lakers vs Celtics prediction:
I have not been impressed with this team thus far this season and nine times out of ten I will pick against them on the road if they are only one-point dogs, especially against a team that has starpower like the Celtics.
That being said, the Lakers are coming off of back-to-back ugly losses and are going to enter this game with a must-win mindset. Not having Jaylen Brown is huge for the Celtics and the Lakers should be able to bully near the rim if Robert Williams does not play.
Plus, there is the x-factor of LeBron. This line is probably assuming that he does not play and if he does play I would bet that it swings to the Lakers being favored. For that reason, I am going to take Lakers +1 and over 214.5 points.
I think the purple and gold can get the job done with or without LeBron.
Lakers vs Celtics TV channel:
This is a nationally broadcasted game that will be aired on ESPN. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 PM Pacific.
Lakers schedule and upcoming games:
After the Celtics game, LA has three more road games on their current road trip, including a back-to-back against the Knicks and Pacers next Tuesday and Wednesday.
The team will fly home and has Thanksgiving off to spend with their families before resuming action on Friday at home against the Sacramento Kings.