Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics 11/19/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics Matchup Preview (11/19/21)

One of the greatest rivalries in sports history will have another episode in this bout between two struggling teams: the Los Angeles Lakers (8-8) and the Boston Celtics (7-8). These teams are more similar than you might think: they are struggling with identity and are also missing their best players, LeBron James, and Jaylen Brown. At the moment, Jaylen Brown is out for the Celtics and will not play in this game but should return soon. Brown averages 25.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists this season on 49.3% from the field and 39.7% from three. For the Lakers, LeBron James should be returning for this game from an abdominal injury. LeBron’s return will be a very welcomed sight for Lakers’ fans as they have been struggling quite a bit at times, including two home losses against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers have a chance to win if they get LeBron back and a strong game from Talen Horton-Tucker. LeBron is the engine to this team: they need him to run properly. Horton-Tucker is a terrific young player and will become a reliable scorer in the league. Boston can secure a home win if it shoots much, much better behind the arc. It ranks 26th in the NBA in 3P% (three-point percentage) and has had offensive struggles throughout this season.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics Betting Odds

Odds for this game have not been announced yet. The table above will populate once they drop and reflect the best odds you can get out of all major sportsbooks.

This feels like a game that the Los Angeles Lakers could sneak away with a win on the road. While the Celtics play great defense, they can’t seem to drum up any real chemistry and efficiency on offense, often scoring less or right around 100 points. On the other hand, Los Angeles puts many points on the board, even if it struggles on the defensive end. Luckily for the Lakers, they certainly have a better defense than the Celtics’ offense. Additionally, based on the style and pace of play that the Lakers deploy, they should force Boston into playing faster, which it will not like doing. Lastly, the likely return of LeBron James into the starting lineup will push Los Angeles over the edge.

TV Schedule

Date: 11/19/21
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Arena: TD Garden – Boston, MA
Channel: ESPN

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Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineup

PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: Talen Horton-Tucker
SF: LeBron James
PF: Carmelo Anthony
C: Anthony Davis

Los Angeles Lakers Analysis

The “Big 3” experiment has not worked out through the first chunk of the 2021-22 season. It is still way too early to identify it as a failed project since it has merely been 16 games, but it certainly has not been what they were hoping. Russell Westbrook has not meshed well within this offense, and Los Angeles went from being one of the best defensive teams in the league last season to being a bottom ten defense this season. While that responsibility certainly does not fall entirely on Westbrook, it does fall on the personnel changes that the Lakers have made. Offensively, the Lakers have been shooting the ball well and playing very up-tempo; however, they still struggle with overall efficiency due to turnovers, where they rank second-to-last to only the Houston Rockets, who are absolutely miserable. If LeBron can come back and resemble the player we are used to, and if Talen Horton-Tucker takes the next step in his career, perhaps this season could be saved for the Lakers.

Boston Celtics Starting Lineup

PG: Dennis Schroder
SG: Marcus Smart
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Grant Williams
C: Al Horford

Boston Celtics Analysis

To be fair to the Boston Celtics, they have a new coach and president of basketball operations and have had to deal with a Jaylen Brown injury that has held him out for several consecutive games. Additionally, they have put together some solid defensive efforts. They rank 13th in opponent points per game, tenth in defensive efficiency, seventh in opponent eFG% (effective field goal percentage), and opponent 3P% (three-point percentage). Offensively, Boston has been absolutely miserable, failing to score over 100 points in five games. The Celtics rank 23rd in eFG% (effective field goal percentage) and 26th in 3P% (three-point percentage), which is not going to cut it in a competitive Eastern Conference. Some of their offensive struggles can be attributed to the loss of Jaylen Brown, but even before he went down, they were merely average. They have to improve on that side of the floor in order to have a shot at making the playoffs.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics Daily Fantasy Picks

Talen Horton-Tucker had missed every game this season until this past Sunday, when he made his season debut. Horton-Tucker scored 17 points in his first game back and then followed that performance up with 28 points against the Chicago Bulls. Despite playing on a team where many players are not shy about shooting, he has gotten plenty of looks through his first two games this season and has converted. Horton-Tucker’s salary in DFS is still not remotely reflective of his potential output, so plug him into your lineups until it evens out. He could be the type of player who puts up close to 20 points per game every night, especially on this Lakers team that is still searching for an identity.

While Dennis Schroder may have lost out on 70+ million dollars by choosing not to sign an extension, he has played terrifically since signing a “prove it” deal with the Boston Celtics this past off-season. Schroder has averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 assists, four rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game through the Celtics’ first 14 games of the 2021-22 season. Schroder has not shot the ball particularly well; however, I believe there is plenty of room for progression in his points per game average. Since Boston has struggled this year, Schroder will have plenty of opportunities to shoot the ball, especially in this game, since Jaylen Brown is still out for a little while longer.