New Chapter of Celtics-Lakers Rivalry on the Horizon
The Boston Celtics were able to break the NBA Championship race tie with the Los Angeles Lakers last season. The Celtics sit atop all franchises with 18 while the Lakers are behind at 17. These two historic franchises entertained the NBA fans for many decades and are set to meet for the first time this season at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night. Last season, the teams split their two meetings, with the road team being victorious.
The Lakers are coming off a big, get-back-right win against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. It was the largest point differential in a Lakers win as the game ended 111-88. LeBron James secured his ninth triple-double of the year, while Anthony Davis continued his dominant play with 29 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks. Dorian Finney-Smith was able to find his shooting stroke, adding 16 points off the bench on nearly 67% shooting from three. With the win, the Lakers improved to 23-18.
On the other hand, the Celtics have been sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference standings pretty much all season. Jayson Tatum this season has been averaging 26.5 points per game, while nearly 10 rebounds as well. Jaylen Brown has continued to play like a great second star, adding just over 23 points per game. The biggest surprise for the Celtics this year has been Payton Pritchard. The sixth man has been averaging a career-high in points per game at 14.6 on the season while shooting a career-high from behind the arc as well at nearly 42%.
The key to defeating the Celtics is defending the three-ball and really honing in on perimeter defense. The Celtics will live or die by the three-ball. They lead the league in three-point attempt averages at just over 49 attempts, which is seven more attempts than the second-most team. The amount of three-point volume has been paying off for the Celtics as they also lead the league in threes made per game. Defensively the Lakers have allowed the 19th most threes per game. The Lakers will lean on defensive leaders Finney-Smith and Max Christie to run the Celtics off the three-point line or at least take uncomfortable shots from deep.
Rivalry week in the NBA started on Tuesday and will continue all the way into Saturday. The Celtics visiting the Lakers on Thursday can arguably be one of the most anticipated games this week. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Looking ahead, the Lakers will play another rivalry game on Saturday when they visit the Golden State Warriors.
