Preview: Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers

The Celtics are coming off a huge win over the Golden State Warriors and hope not to fall into this trap game

The Boston Celtics are coming off their biggest win of the season. They were able to snap the Golden State Warriors‘ 54-game home winning streak on Friday night and now have a chance to finish their five-game road trip 3-2. While the Los Angeles Lakers are in the race for the top overall selection in the upcoming draft, this is a “trap” game for the Celtics.

Coming off their win over the Warriors, the Celtics’ confidence is as high as it’s been all season. Seeing the lowly Lakers on the schedule makes it hard for some teams to get excited and focused following a huge win. Boston is still in the midst of a playoff race and a win tonight would finally clinch their playoff berth.

Boston comes into the game at 44-32, fifth in the Eastern Conference. They trail the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks by 0.5 games each, so winning a game like this is a must. On the other hand, the Lakers are a tragic 16-59 0n the season and it hasn’t gotten any easier over the past week.

The former second overall pick last season, D’Angelo Russell, leaked a private conversation video that him and teammate Nick Young had that showed Young was cheating on his fiancé. Since, Russell has been blocked out from the team and while no physical altercations have emerged, there’s no doubt anger is brewing in the Lakers locker room.

When it comes to on the court, Kobe Bryant will face the Boston Celtics for the last time in his career tonight. In 30 career games against the Celtics, Bryant has averaged 24.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. It’s weird to imagine that this will be the last time the Celtics will face a Lakers team composed of Kobe Bryant.

For the Boston Celtics, Jae Crowder will play tonight after sitting out against the Warriors. His ankle is getting closer and closer to 100 percent and it was obvious the type of impact he had in the game against the Portland Trailblazers. There is no doubt the Celtics hope to get out ahead early on the Lakers so they can rest Crowder.

This is a game that could potentially feature a lot of the young players on the Celtics. While Terry Rozier has gotten a lot of run lately, rookies like R.J. Hunter and Jordan Mickey have continued to sit on the bench. The Celtics had a chance to get their young guys action against the Phoenix Suns but they let off of the gas and let the Suns back into the game.

The Lakers are a team that they should be able to jump on early and take an early lead. Keeping that lead and building on it will be the key, as that is what contenders are able to do late in the season.

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As a team, the Lakers shoot 41.6 percent from the field, even worse than the poor-shooting Boston Celtics (43.9). The Lakers also average less than 100 points per game, so many misses this game is expected.

Despite all the poor shooting and team chemistry the Lakers have, they still have some solid, young players. Like previously noted, the Lakers have high hopes for Russell. Although, Jordan Clarkson, a second-round pick two years ago, may be their guard of the future. Clarkson averages 15.5 points and four rebounds per game. He’s not going to pass up an open shot, however, he has great size for a guard and could cause problems for the Celtics.

The Lakers also have Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. down low. Boston will be eyeing Randle down low as the young player has averaged a double-double this season.

Next: Schedule Gives Boston Control Down the Stretch

The Lakers are a mess on and off the court. Boston can’t fall into this trap game or else they’ll be kicking themselves come playoff time. This is more than a winnable game, this is a game where all 12 guys should have a chance to play.

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