Celtics vs. Lakers same-game parlay predictions Dec. 25: Bet on Boston, Tatum to deliver on Christmas
The greatest rivalry in basketball is renewed when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Boston Celtics for a Christmas Day clash.
The pregame narrative: L.A. has dropped five of seven games since winning the In-Season Tournament while Boston has won seven of its last eight. Boston is worth tailing on the moneyline while LeBron James and Jayson Tatum should deliver on the prop market.
NBA oddsas of 11:26 a.m. on 12/24/2023.
Celtics vs. Lakers same-game parlay
Parlay: Celtics moneyline + Tatum over 26.5 points + James over 1.5 threes (+290)
Celtics (-143): Boston has been on fire this month, boasting an 8-2 record while averaging 126.3 points per game (second-best in NBA).
The Celtics' 8-6 road record might seem concerning but they also just routed the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers in back-to-back games, scoring 144 and 145 points in those contests.
This team is firing on all cylinders and is catching Los Angeles at a good time. The Lakers have lost four of their past five games and have a -7.2 net rating in that span (24th in NBA). By contrast, the Celtics have a +17.6 net rating in their last five (second-best in NBA).
Other parlay picks
Tatum over 25.5 points (-235): Tatum is having a down year by his standards but he's still averaging 26.9 points per game. That just goes to show you what kind of bucket-getter we're dealing with here.
The small forward has gone over this mark in 15 of 27 games on the season including three of his last five.
The Lakers aren't typically a great matchup for forwards but they've struggled to defend lately and just allowed 22-year-old Jalen Williams a season-high 28 points. Two games before that, DeMar DeRozan dropped 27 points on just 16 field goal attempts.
Clearing this teased-down number shouldn't be an issue for Tatum.
James over 1.5 threes (-167): LeBron still dominates at the rim but the league's all-time leading scorer has really been feeling it from deep this season.
He's shooting a career-best 41.2% from beyond the arc and has gone over this mark in four of his past five games.
James has cleared this mark in 19 of 27 games on the season and most recently went 5-for-5 from deep against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
