Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics NBA Picks, Odds, Predictions 4/15/21

The Boston Celtics invade the Staples Center to do battle with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

The Boston Celtics have been a team on the rise as they’ve won six of their past seven games and they will be eager to build on their current four-game win streak after sneaking past the Trailblazers in a 116-115 road win on Tuesday. Jayson Tatum led the team with 32 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Jaylen Brown added 24 points, Kemba Walker scored 21 points with seven assists while Robert Williams chipped in with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Celtics shot 46 percent from the field and 15 of 35 from the 3-point line as they poured in 35 points in the third quarter to take the lead, before winning by the smallest margin as Marcus Smart missed a pair of free throws with 3.5 seconds remaining.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have been in decent shape as they’ve won six of their past 10 games and they will be looking to build some momentum after taking down the Hornets in a 101-93 road win on Tuesday. Kyle Kuzma led the team with 24 points, Dennis Schroder added 19 points with six assists while Alex Caruso chipped in with 13 points and six assists off the bench. As a team, the Lakers shot just 41 percent from the field and 16 of 44 from the 3-point line as they led by two points at halftime, before taking control of the contest in the third quarter where they held the Hornets to just 16 points to open an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Looking at the betting trends, the Celtics are 5-0 ATS in their last five road games and 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games following a win. The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games, 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against a team with a winning record and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall.

Head to head, over is 5-1 in the last six meetings overall and the Celtics are 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings overall.

The Celtics are really starting to heat up now with six wins in their last seven outings and they would love a win over their oldest rivals after falling to the Lakers by one point back on Jan 30. The Lakers are coming into this one in decent form as they’ve managed to keep their heads above water with their two best players sitting out. The Celtics are 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings overall and I think that trend continues here at the Celtics take advantage or a shorthanded Lakers lineup.