Lakers at Celtics 2/7/19 - NBA Picks & Predictions

In the first game of a Thursday night NBA on TNT doubleheader, the Los Angeles Lakers will visit the Boston Celtics.

The Lakers have lost consecutive games and trail the Clippers by 2.5 games for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. On Tuesday, Los Angeles was outscored by 23 points during the first half of a 136-94 loss at Indiana. The Lakers turned the ball over 19 times and allowed the Pacers to shoot 57 percent from the field.

LeBron James led Los Angeles with 18 points to go along with nine assists and seven rebounds. Brandon Ingram added 12 points and six rebounds for the Lakers. The Boston Celtics have reeled off five straight victories and are starting to re-establish themselves as the favorites to win the East. On Tuesday, Boston played without Kyrie Irving during a 103-96 road victory against Cleveland. The Celtics outscored the Cavaliers by ten points during the second quarter and shot 49 percent overall.

Boston F Jayson Tatum converted all 12 of this free throw attempts and finished with a team high 25 points. Gordon Hayward chipped in 18 points and six rebounds off the bench.