Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers prediction, odds, TV channel for December 13

Things change quickly in an NBA season, and after two straight losses in the state of California, the Boston Celtics are now on the defensive when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers on the second night of an L.A. back-to-back.

The first leg of this back-to-back went as poorly as any game this season for the Celtics, as the Los Angeles Clippers held Boston to 93 points as a team and had 10 more rebounds and six fewer turnovers than the sloppy Cs in a 20-point drubbing Monday night.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were held to a combined 41 points, while Boston’s backcourt (Marcus Smart and Derrick White) was held to just six points. The Clippers forced 20 misses from beyond the arc for the Cs, who finished with a 23% conversion clip from beyond the arc.

Tonight won’t be as much of a defensive challenge for the Cs, going from a top-five defense for the Clips to a middle-of-the-road defense for the Lakers. The purple and gold will largely go as LeBron James and Anthony Davis do, but Russell Westbrook poses a problem to the Celtics’ backup bigs given his relentlessness at the rim. Al Horford will be out for a fourth straight game, so Luke Kornet will get a chance to prove his worth as a rim-protector.

Will Boston have enough healthy body to stave off an upset to the ‘king’ and his cohorts? Or will the Lakers fail to hand the Cs their first three-game losing streak of the season? Hardwood Houdini has your odds and a prediction for the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers on TNT (all odds provided by WynnBET):

Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers odds, spread

The Celtics are 3.5-point favorites against the Clippers on the road. Boston’s odds are -165 to win outright, with the Los Angeles moneyline set at +140. The over/under for the game has been placed at 235 points.

Celtics vs. Lakers prediction

There’s no way the Cs lose their third straight game in 2022-23 for the first time with a pitfall in Tinseltown against the Lakers right?

Forget laying the 3.5, but believe in Boston to get past the Lakers on Tuesday night.

Pick: Celtics ML (-165)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.