Celtics vs. Lakers Odds, Picks, Predictions: Boston Needs to End Losing Skid

Check out our top NBA pick and prediction for Tuesday's showdown between the Celtics and Lakers.

Shane Thurston

Last Updated: October 8, 2025 11:09 AM EDT • 3 minute read

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Two storied franchises are set to face off on Tuesday, as the Boston Celtics travel to the Los Angeles Lakers for a special cross-conference clash. Read on for our Celtics-Lakers NBA pick based on the top odds.

The Lakers are a welcome sight for the Celtics, who still boast the league’s best record even though they enter this matchup on a mini-slump. Boston (21-7) has dropped back-to-back road games against the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers.

However, the Lakers (11-15) are not on the same level as those teams, and lost three of their last four games to end their road trip.

Here is our top NBA pick for Tuesday’s matchup between the Celtics and Lakers (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Celtics vs. Lakers Game Info

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 13, 10 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA

Celtics vs. Lakers Odds

Celtics vs. Lakers Odds Analysis

The Celtics opened as 4.5-point favorites but the line has actually moved against them and now sits at 3.5 across the board. Boston is third in the league with a 17-11 against-the-spread clip, while Los Angeles ranks 25th with an 11-15 ATS record on the year. Per pregame.com, 71% of spread bets are actually on Boston.

As for the total, the number has climbed from 233 to 235 since the lines were released. Both teams have produced more Overs, as the Lakers have had 15 of their 26 games clear the point total, and the Celtics are 14-13-1 to the Over. At the time of this writing, 57% of total tickets have come in on the Under.

Celtics vs. Lakers Pick

Celtics -0.5 third quarter ★★★★★

Are you ready to get really specific with this game? The Celtics should end this road trip with a win, and my model projects value on the current 3.5-point spread. If you prefer to play the main markets, we’d suggest laying the points with Boston.

But my favorite bet for this game is actually a third-quarter spread, which is already available at FanDuel. Bettors need to lay -120 juice for Boston to win the third quarter by more than 0.5 points, and that is worth jumping on given the tendency of both teams.

Only one team in the entire league has a worse net rating than the Lakers in the third quarter, according to NBA.com. Los Angeles has a net rating of minus-10.3 in the third period, which does not bode well for this specific matchup. The Celtics are sixth in the league with a plus-6.6 net rating in the third frame. Per TeamRankings, Boston is averaging 29.3 points per game in the third quarter (ninth in the league) while Los Angeles is 18th with 27.6.

Truth be told, Boston paces the league with a net rating of plus-17.5 in the opening quarter and ranks 13th or better in both the second frame and fourth period, as well. But given the Lakers’ ineptitude out of the half, we prefer betting on the Celtics to take care of business in the third quarter tonight.

Celtics vs. Lakers Best Odds

FanDuel (-120)

DraftKings	FanDuel	BetMGM	Caesars	PointsBet
-3.5 (105), +3.5 (-115)	-3.5 (-114), +3.5 (-106)	-3.5 (-115), +3.5 (-105)	-3.5 (-110), +3.5 (-110)	-3.5 (-107), +3.5 (-107)

Because this is such a specific market prior to tipoff, options are limited on where you can bet a third-quarter spread. FanDuel is the only sportsbook offering such odds among the major sportsbooks, though it is worth checking the other shops during halftime when third-quarter lines are typically released.

Shopping around is still crucial for the major markets for this game. Caesars Sportsbook is the best place for Under bettors to go, with a current offering of 236 on the total. Over bettors would be wise to take advantage of DraftKings Sportsbook's mark of 235.

With a consensus 3.5-point spread across the board, PointsBet offers a slight discount at -107 juice. Even if our best bet is available at only one sportsbook, line shopping remains extremely important.

Where to Bet on Celtics-Lakers Picks

Here are our Best NBA Betting Sites:

Celtics-Lakers picks made 12/13/2022 at 11:54 a.m. ET.

Written by:
Shane Thurston

Shane Thurston has been writing for Sportsbook Review since 2022, though his passion for sports, writing, and betting runs much longer than that. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a journalism degree in 2017 and has been covering sports ever since, working for MLB.com, Manhattan Mercury, Lawrence Journal-World, WynnBET, Bet Chicago Sports, BetNOLA, and BetMGM. Thurston cares about creating quality sports betting content above all else. He uses NFL experience, a mixture of models, information, film, analysis, and a top-down approach to locate every best bet shared for SBR. He never gives out a pick that he wouldn’t be willing to spend his own money on. Thurston is focused on finding +EV bets on a daily basis for a variety of sports such as NCAAF, NCAAB, NFL, NBA, WNBA, and MLB. He usually bets on props but is willing to wager on a spread or total when there is an edge. Don’t ask him how many bets he has placed on a typical college football Saturday. Thurston doesn’t care if you follow him on social media, but his Twitter account has info on how you can follow his bets through multiple third-party platforms. He just wants you to read all the great work from the SBR team.