Lakers vs Celtics Prediction & Player Prop of the Game: Will Jayson Tatum outduel LeBron?

Rivalry Week gets one of the oldest and best rivalries in the history of the NBA to liven up your Saturday night as LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers roll into Boston to take on Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics.

Your Saturday night plans just got that much better as these two historic franchises will square off in what should be a drama-filled night on the court.

Keep reading for all the game information so you don't miss the action, a betting prediction and a MUST BET player prop, which includes a ladder 😉

Stick around, let's have some fun. It is Saturday, after all…

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Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers

• Game Date and Time: Saturday, January 28th, 2023. 8.30 PM EST
• Game Location: TD Garden. Boston, MA
• Where to Watch: ABC/ESPN/NBA TV

Spread

• Lakers +8.5 (-105)
• Celtics -8.5 (-112)

MoneyLine

• Lakers (+280)
• Celtics (-360)

Total

• Over 234 (-110)
• Under 234 (-110)

ALL ODDS AVAILABLE HERE

Prediction

It should be a fun one tonight in the Garden as LeBron and Tatum square off for the 2nd time this season and if this game is anything like the first matchup, we are in for a wild ride.

The Celtics slipped by the Lakers in an overtime thriller, 122-118 when they met in December in Crypto.com Arena.

All the stars had massive performances that night, Tatum especially, as he dropped 44 in the Celtics win.

More on Tatum in a bit 😉

Anthony Davis had 37 and Lebron had 33 in the loss but it was an amazing game and I expect a similar game tonight.

Anthony Davis is not the Davis we saw in December, however, but it is good to see him back in the Lakers lineup, even if it hasn't quite returned to top form yet.

LeBron will have to shoulder a big load yet again for the Lakers tonight if they want to hang around with the Celtics and I think he does.

He is 158 points away from history and having a big night in the C's house is surely on his bingo card for the night.

Entering tonight's Lakers/Celtics ABC matchup, LeBron is 158 points away from history.

Follow the quest: https://t.co/L75XCr7tPh pic.twitter.com/OFJdYU8Pf9

— NBA (@NBA) January 28, 2023

I am trusting the King, with help from Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis, to hang around the Celtics here and at least keep it within striking distance.

They will probably lose, but I like them to cover the 8.5 points.

Best Bet

Lakers +8.5 (-112)

Consensus Pick

Lakers +8.5 (-112)

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Player Prop of the Game

Jayson Tatum o30.5 Points (-120) Bet MGM

I love LeBron in this matchup like I said but for me, this is a Jayson Tatum type of night.

Look at what he has done recently against LeBron and the Lakers…

Jayson Tatum's last five games vs LeBron James

41 PTS | 5 REB | 2 BLK | 60.0 FG%
30 PTS | 9 REB | 2 STL | 66.7 FG%
37 PTS | 11 REB | 3 STL | 50.0 FG%
34 PTS | 8 REB | 3 AST | 59.1 FG%
44 PTS | 9 REB | 6 AST | 51.7 FG%

JT and the Celtics take on LeBron and the Lakers tonight🍿 pic.twitter.com/SLkKE8sfZh

— NBA Muse (@NBAMuse24) January 28, 2023

As you can see, Tatum has had great success against LA but he has also been on fire the past 2 weeks as well.

He has 31+ points in 5 of his last 6 games, shooting 48% from the field and 40% from 3.

He is a serious MVP candidate and this type of game tonight, against LeBron at home, is the type of performance that could further stake his claim as the Most Valuable Player.

I am trusting the numbers, my gut and my basketball brain here.

Tatum is going to ball.

I am also laddering him as well.

3 of his last 5 against the Lakers have been 35+ point performances and 2 of them were 40+ masterclasses.

For the wonderful plus money we get on the ladder, this is worth a sprinkle.

Bonus:

35+ points (+175)

40+ points (+480)

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Ok that's it! Enjoy this NBA action tonight!

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