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KEY POINTS
- The Lakers will try to even their regular season series with the Celtics Saturday
- Boston is looking to snap a three-game slide with a win at home against Los Angeles
- Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura could make a difference for the Lakers against the league-leading Celtics
The Los Angeles Lakers have Anthony Davis back and have seen what new acquisition Rui Hachimura brings. However, it may take more than that for the purple and gold to pull the rug from under the hosting Boston Celtics on Saturday.
Boston will seek to end its three-game losing spell. In their last assignment, the Celtics lost to the New York Knicks in overtime, 117-120, Thursday night.
It was their third consecutive loss after dropping games against the Miami Heat (95-98) and the Orlando Magic (98-113).
Jayson Tatum unloaded 35 points and 14 rebounds in that loss to the Knicks. Jaylen Brown backed him up with 22 markers and nine caroms.
“Just got to be better,” Brown said Thursday night, according to ESPN. “Tonight was just a rough game and I’m a better basketball player than I played today. Those two free throws embodied the whole game for me.”
The Celtics are fourth in the league in team scoring with 117.6 points per contest. They also own an offensive rating of 116.6, which is third in the NBA.
Boston is giving up 112.2 points per game, ninth in the league. The Cs have a defensive rating of 110.9, fifth in the NBA.
On the other side, the Lakers are hoping to rack up their second-straight win following a 113-104 victory over the rebuilding Spurs.
That game marked the return of Davis, who came off the bench but still led the Lakers with 21 points and 12 rebounds. LeBron James chipped in 20 markers and 11 assists.
Hachimura debuted in a Lakers uniform with 12 points and six rebounds.
The Lakers are sixth in the league in team scoring, averaging 117 points per game. Los Angeles has an offensive rating of 113.2, 15th in the NBA.
Defensively, the purple and gold are surrendering 118 points per contest. They own a defensive rating of 113.9, 20th in the NBA.
The Celtics are -7 favorites to top the Lakers, which are at +7, according to USA Today’s For The Win. The Moneyline set for this matchup is -291 for Boston and +233 for Los Angeles.
The Boston Celtics will host their rival Los Angeles Lakers at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, Saturday, with tip-off set at 8:30 p.m. EST. The game will be telecast over ABC, and live streaming will also be available via FuboTV.
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