Two storied rivals will go at it Friday night when the Lakers take on the Celtics at TD Garden in Boston.
The Lakers (16-5) are coming off a three-point win in Toronto on Thursday. The Celtics (13-9) have won three straight and also played on Thursday, routing the Washington Wizards, 146-101 in the nation’s capital.
If you’re hoping to get in on the action for Lakers vs. Celtics as a bettor in Missouri, we have you covered. Explore the top Missouri sports betting apps, which have offers similar to the best Massachusetts sportsbook promos.
How to bet on Lakers vs. Celtics in Missouri
If you’re a new sports bettor, there are dozens of betting markets for basketball. Here are the most popular ones.
Moneylines
A moneyline bet is a wager on which team will win. The odds correspond with the probability of each team winning.
For Friday’s Lakers vs. Celtics game, the moneyline odds for LA are +210, which means a $100 wager will pay out $210 in profit. The Celtics are about a -250 favorite, meaning you’d have to wager $250 to win $100 in profit.
Point spreads
Point spread betting is a hallmark of online sports betting. It makes wagering more interesting when there is a potentially lopsided game, like how sportsbooks perceive Lakers versus Celtics.
The Celtics are a 6.5-point favorite, which means they have to win by seven points or more to cover the spread. If the Lakers lose by six points or fewer — or win outright — then they’ll beat the spread.
Totals
Totals betting is wagering on the Over/Under, or the number of points in a game. If you bet the over, you’re wagering on more points than the predetermined number. If you bet on the under, you’re wagering on fewer points.
The total for Lakers versus Celtics is 225.5 points across the board.
Player props
One of the most popular ways to bet is on player props, as we like to win big when our favorite players show out.
You can wager on the total number of points, rebounds, assists, 3-pointers, or points + rebounds + assists for a player. You can also wager on alternate totals.
Game props
Game props are wagers tied to smaller parts of the game but not the overall outcome. There are dozens of game prop markets, like first-quarter totals, first-half totals and more.
If you want to wager on either team to put up a specific number of points, you can. If you want to bet on overtime, there is a game prop for that, too.
Same-game parlay
Do you want to combine all the above markets for the Lakers versus the Celtics game? You can!
FanDuel Sportsbook standardized same game parlays, but now every legal online sportsbook offers bettors the chance to dial up their own custom SGP.
Most of the best online sportsbooks offer boosts on same-game parlays, especially for a highly anticipated game, like Lakers vs. Celtics.
Live betting
It used to be, when you went to Vegas, you had to get your bets in before the game started. Otherwise, you’d miss your opportunity to bet.
But with online sportsbooks, you can bet in-game, or live bet, since the odds fluctuate throughout the game. That means you can consider the evolving spread, total and moneyline. Even player props evolve as the game goes on.
Best bets for Lakers. vs. Celtics on Friday night
- Lakers +7 (-110 at Fanatics Sportsbook)
- Over 225.5 points (-110 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Deandre Ayton Over 26.5 points + rebounds (-110 at BetMGM Sportsbook)
- Derrick White Over 2.5 3-pointers (-163 at DraftKings)
Lakers PG Luka Doncic is unlikely to play, since he is out due to personal reasons, and LeBron James may not play either. He has not been playing both games in back-to-backs.
Still, the Lakers are one of the NBA’s best teams and have been without James for most of the season, as he’s only played six games. Plus, the Celtics tend to bring out the best in LA, since the Lakers won in Boston two years ago without both James and center Anthony Davis.
The Celtics, of course, bomb more 3-pointers than any other team, so wagering Brown to only knock down three threes is low risk. That would also make a great same-game-parlay leg.
If the Lakers don’t have James, or even if they do, Ayton must make an impact to keep the Lakers in the game. He’s averaging about 25 points + rebounds + assists per game, but has topped 27 points and rebounds in eight of his 19 games.
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