Celtics vs. Lakers Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Jan. 23

The NBA’s greatest rivalry renews on Thursday night, as LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers host the defending champion Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum at Crypto.com Arena.

This matchup is one of the headliners for NBA Rivals Week, and it’s the first meeting between the two storied franchises this season.

Boston is coming off a hard-fought win on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, although it did not play Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, or Al Horford on the front end of a back-to-back. That’s a good sign for the veteran trio’s availability on Thursday.

The Lakers (23-18) moved into the No. 5 seed in the West with the Clippers’ loss, and they’ve been one of the better home teams in the NBA this season (15-6 straight up). Can L.A. keep that rolling against Boston?

Oddsmakers have set James and company as home underdogs on Thursday, but the C’s have struggled to cover the spread as a favorite this season.

Here’s a full breakdown of the odds, player to consider in the prop market, and my prediction for this rivalry matchup.

Celtics vs. Lakers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Celtics -5 (-115)
Lakers +5 (-105)

Moneyline

Celtics: -185
Lakers: +154

Total

219 (Over -112/Under -108)

Celtics vs. Lakers How to Watch

Date: Thursday, Jan. 23
Time: 10:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Crypto.com Arena
How to Watch (TV): TNT/truTV/Max
Celtics record: 31-13
Lakers record: 23-18

Celtics vs. Lakers Injury Reports

Celtics Injury Report

Not submitted yet

(Note: Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis all sat out the front end of a back-to-back on Wednesday).

Lakers Injury Report

LeBron James – probable
Anthony Davis – probable
Jalen Hood-Schifino – out
Jarred Vanderbilt – out
Christian Wood – out

Celtics vs. Lakers Best NBA Prop Bets

Boston Celtics Best NBA Prop Bet

Derrick White OVER 12.5 Points (-115)

With Holiday, KP, and Horford out on Wednesday, White had a bounce-back scoring game for the C’s. He finished with 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting (4-for-12 from 3), his second-highest scoring game since Jan. 3.

Now, White could be in a good spot to clear this discounted points prop – even though his shots may drop with those three veterans likely back in action tonight. The Lakers are also a favorable matchup since they’ve struggled on defense (23rd in defensive rating) so far this season.

Los Angeles Lakers Best NBA Prop Bet

LeBron James OVER 1.5 3-Pointers Made (-160)

The future Hall of Famer has made two or more shots from beyond the arc in 11 of his last 12 games, shooting 50.7 percent from beyond the arc over that stretch.

While James is attempting less than six 3-pointers per game over that 12-game stretch, he’s taken at least six in four straight. With that kind of volume, it’s hard to pass up the Lakers star at this number – especially since he’s shooting 39.8 percent from deep for the season.

Celtics vs. Lakers Prediction and Pick

The Lakers have been one of the best teams in the NBA at home this season, and this includes as a home underdog (3-2 against the spread).

While Boston did end up beating the Clippers on Wednesday night, it did not do it convincingly despite the Clips being down James Harden, Norman Powell, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac.

Overall, Boston is just 9-9-1 against the spread as a road favorite and 17-24-1 as a favorite in general in the 2024-25 season.

Now, the C’s significantly outrank the Lakers in net rating this season, but Los Angeles’ numbers at home are very respectable. The Lakers are 14th in net rating, seventh in offensive rating, and sixth in effective field goal percentage at Crypto.com Arena this season. They actually have a better home-effective field goal percentage than these Celtics this season, who rank second in the NBA in offensive rating when at TD Garden.

This is a tough turnaround for the C’s and there’s always a chance that they rest a player that suited up last night in this game. I’ll take the points with L.A. at home.

Pick: Lakers +5 (-105)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.