Boston at Los Angeles

A week ago my NBA power rankings had the Lakers #1 and Boston #2. With these two teams meeting in a huge game, I decided to update my rankings (see latest here). What did I find? Over the past week, Boston moved up from #2 to #1 and LA dropped to #3 behind the Cavs. And Boston is #1 by a healthy margin! All three of these teams are exceptional and we are treated to a Christmas Day matchup between two of them. I like the visitor here. Yes, I was on the Lakers on Monday as they were getting points at New Orleans. I stated in that one that we won't often see LA getting points this season and that we should jump on it. It worked out. Now, we can say the same for Boston! This team has won 19 games in a row (a franchise record) and 27 of 29 overall. And they are getting points. I'm all over that. These same teams met in the Finals last year and Boston was the underdog. They proved to be the better team. They are the better team this year. They are confident they can win in the Staples Center and as they did last year, they look forward to the challenge. The big difference, as it was last year, is on defense. Los Angeles has a great offense and average defense. Boston has a very good offense and excellent defense. Guess what comes out on top in big games? Yes! Defense. Boston can bring it on offense and shut you down on defense. Los Angeles must simply try to outscore you. This Celtics team is 18-7 ATS since last year as an underdog. The Lakers, despite their incredible success this season, are just 5-15 ATS this season in games with a total set at 200 or higher. What that tells you is that when they face a team that can score with them, they underperform. For the Finals last year I recommended a series bet on Boston, and took them in every single game. They were the better team. They won games at home and in here in LA. This year they have won 93% of their games, yet they are expected to lose this one? I'm not buying it. I like Boston to get the win. I also like the OVER. The Lakers can score, as we know. Boston averages 102.3 per game and their offense is clicking (109.6 per game over their last five). They'll reach triple figures here against an average LA defense that gives up 98 per game, even at home. Take Boston and the OVER in what should be a fun game to watch.