Celtics vs. Lakers Game 2 NBA Finals Free Pick
This Celtics vs. Lakers Game 2 NBA Finals free pick is courtesy of Pregame.com.
The Los Angeles Lakers host the Boston Celtics tonight in Game 2 of their NBA Finals matchup. The Lakers dominated the Celtics in Game 1, so the Celtics will be looking for a better showing tonight. The Lakers are 6 point favorites, with a total of 190 points expected tonight. ABC will televise Game 2 at 8:00 EDT tonight.
Los Angeles played Game 1 like they had been waiting for it for years. That's mostly the case, because the Lakers had indeed been waiting for the Celtics after losing to them in the Finals a few years ago. Los Angeles played like the team with revenge, as they dominated the rebounding department and the hustle points against Boston. The Lakers outrebounded the Celtics 42-31, with F Pau Gasol being the only player in the game with double digit rebounds. Gasol had 23 PTS and 14 rebounds in Game 1, proving that he isn't as "soft" as he has been in the past. G Kobe Bryant was very efficient, as he had a game high 30 PTS on 22 shot attempts. F Ron Artest played great as well, as he had 15 PTS while playing superb defense on Paul Pierce. The Lakers are confident after their Game 1 win, partly due to the fact that Coach Jackson led teams are 47-0 in a series after winning Game 1. Los Angeles is 70-29 SU and 43-53-3 ATS overall this season. The Lakers are 43-7
SU and 22-27-1 ATS in home games this year. The Lakers are 5-3 as a home favorite between 3.5 and 6 PTS this season. Los Angeles is 10-7 ATS during the playoffs this season entering tonight.
The Lakers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games against a team with a road winning percentage greater than .600%. The Over is 6-1-1 in their last 8 playoff games as a favorite.
Boston is going to have to play with far more effort if they are going to make this series a Finals to remember. Boston made the critical mistake of expecting the Lakers to be soft like they were in their last Finals matchup. The Celtics vaunted defense struggled in Game 1, as they allowed the Lakers to score more than 100 PTS and allowed them to shoot better than 48% in the process. F Paul Pierce was the the only Celtics player to score more than 16 PTS, as he had 24 PTS. Pierce was 6-13 from the field, and attempted a game high 13 free throw attempts in Game 1. Pierce also had a team high 9 rebounds in Game 1, 3 more than any other teammate had. PG Rajon Rondo was the only other Celtics player that played well in Game 1, as he had 13 PTS, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds. Boston only made 1 of their 10 three point attempts in Game 1, something they certainly need to improve on. Boston is 62-38 SU and 45-53-2 ATS overall this season. Boston is 31-19 SU both at
home and on the road this season. The Celtics are 26-23-2 ATS away from home this year, proving just how great of a road team they are. The Celtics are 7-8 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 PTS this year. The Celtics are only 1-9 ATS against Pacific Division opponents this year.
The Celtics are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a SU loss of more than 10 points. The Under is 5-0 in their last 5 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 91-90 in favor of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Boston Celtics +6 is the Side of the Day!
Johnny Detroit, Gambling911.com
