Celtics vs. Lakers Prediction, Odds, Players to Watch for NBA Summer League

Betting odds, pick and prediction for the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers matchup in Summer League.

The Los Angeles Lakers and guard Bronny James are underdogs on Thursday. / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The NBA’s most storied rivalry takes on Summer League on Thursday night, as the Los Angeles Lakers and Bronny James face off against the Boston Celtics.

Boston is 2-1 so far in Summer League, and it’s seen Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez – the team’s last two first-round picks – put out early auditions for Joe Mazzulla’s rotation in the 2025-26 season.

Boston is going to be looking for some young talent to fill the gaps after losing Jayson Tatum to an Achilles injury, Luke Kornet and likely Al Horford in free agency and Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in trades. 

The Lakers have spent this offseason marred in LeBron James rumors, and they need to sign Luka Doncic to a contract extension. However, the younger James has shown some flashes at Summer League that could land him in the back end of J.J. Redick’s rotation in the 2025-26 season.

Let’s break down the odds, players to watch and my prediction for this rivalry matchup in Summer League. 

Celtics vs. Lakers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Celtics -2.5 (-110)
• Lakers +2.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Celtics: -142
• Lakers: +120

Total

• 175.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Celtics vs. Lakers How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, July 17
• Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Thomas & Mack Center
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN
• Celtics record: 2-1
• Lakers record: 1-2

Celtics vs. Lakers Key Players to Watch

Boston Celtics

• Charles Bassey 

There’s a real chance that Bassey could earn a spot on the Celtics due to all of the center depth that they have lost this offseason.

Bassey has spent time at the NBA level over the past two seasons, and he’s looked great in Summer League, averaging 15.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while shooting over 70 percent from the field. 

Los Angeles Lakers

• Bronny James

There’s a chance that the Lakers could shut down the 2024 second-round pick before the end of Summer League, but he’s showing some serious growth ahead of his second NBA season.

The younger James had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists while knocking down 3-of-5 shots from 3 in a loss to the Clippers on Monday. Overall, he’s averaging 13.0 points per game in Las Vegas while shooting 44.8 percent from the field. 

Celtics vs. Lakers Prediction and Pick

Note: Before betting on NBA Summer League, it’s important to know that rotations are fluid and predicting player performance is volatile. As an avid NBA bettor, I suggest only placing small wagers for fun on these games since they are often hard to predict.

So far this summer, the Lakers have been an UNDER machine in Las Vegas, combining for 172, 175 and 125 points in three games.

In their last game, the Lakers scored just 58 points, and I think they could be in line for another low-scoring game against a Boston team that doesn’t have a ton of top-line talent on its Summer League roster.

The C’s have combined for 175 points or less in two of their three Summer League games, clearing this total only in their last game against the Miami Heat.

With the Lakers defending at a pretty high level – they have not allowed 90 points to a single opponent in Las Vegas – I’ll bet the UNDER in Thursday’s matchup. 

Pick: UNDER 175.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

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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.

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