Los Angeles Lakers: 8 Reasons They Will Beat the Boston Celtics Tonight
The last time the Lakers and Celtics met, the Celtics came away with one of their biggest victories of the entire 2010-11 NBA season as Boston took down L.A., 109-96.
Los Angeles will be looking to split the season series with the Celtics tonight as the Lakers will travel to TD Garden with revenge on the mind.
These are eight reasons why the Boston Celtics will fall to the Los Angeles Lakers tonight.
No. 8: Kobe Bryant
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Every basketball fan knows that when the Lakers do something great, Kobe Bryant is usually in the mix of things.
Bryant dropped 41 on the Celtics when both teams met shortly after the Christmas holiday, but that wasn't enough to slow down the Celtics offensive barrage.
Bryant should have an easier time on defense, however, as Paul Pierce is still struggling with injury.
No. 7: Shaquille O'Neal
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Shaquille O'Neal will be out of the lineup tonight against the Lakers, which only helps the L.A forwards.
O'Neal still has a physical presence about him in the middle of the paint and the Celtics always seem to struggle with rebounding and blocking out when he is out of the lineup.
Plus, the Shaq vs. Kobe matchup will no longer be a factor or distraction for L.A.
This will be O'Neal's fourth straight game on the sidelines and his return is very much up in the air.
No. 6: Andrew Bynum
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Andrew Bynum is seemingly playing for his Lakers career after being a hot topic in trade discussions over the course of the last few days.
So far this season, Bynum has posted a little over 11 points and eight rebounds per game.
Although he is not a huge difference-maker on any given night, the seven-foot, 285-pound Bynum should have a great size advantage at TD Garden.
No. 5: Celtics Injuries
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Jermaine O'Neal, Delonte West, Shaquille O'Neal and Semih Erden are all out of the lineup for the Celtics tonight against the Lakers.
In fact, the Celtics will only dress 10 total players which can cause some serious matchup problems in the later part of the game and also if anyone should get into foul trouble.
The Celtics are expected to play a center-by-committee system while Semih Erden and Shaquille O'Neal are both out.
No. 4: Road Warriors
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The Lakers have one of the best winning percentages on the road in the entire NBA.
With a current record of 17-8 on other teams' turf, the Lakers know how to win close games away from L.A. and keep the momentum going.
The Lakers are also averaging slightly better numbers on the road as far as points per game and rebounding are concerned.
No. 3: The Lakers Have Done This Before
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The Lakers have been forced to play at TD Garden quite often over the last few seasons as both L.A, and the Celtics have made championship runs.
Playing the Celtics on the road can be intimidating for some Western Conference teams but the Lakers have won there before and know that the Celtics are depleted due to injury.
The Lakers match up better against the Celtics tonight as it is widely known that the Celtics will be forced to run their game through Paul Pierce.
No. 2: Pau Gasol vs. Kevin Garnett
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Pau Gasol plays his best basketball when he is up against the best competition and he gets that competition every time he sees Kevin Garnett.
Garnett vs. Gasol is becoming one of the best matchups in the history of these two teams in addition to Bryant vs. Pierce.
The winner of this matchup should go a long way towards winning the game as rebounding and second-chance points are key.
No. 1: Recent Trends
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Sometimes you can't argue with history and despite a Celtics win earlier this season, the Lakers have gotten the better of them recently.
The Lakers have won four out of the last five meetings, outscoring the Celtics by an average of seven points per game.
With a win on the road tonight, the Lakers can improve to 8-2 over the course of their last 10 road games.
