All Lakers Expert Predictions For Saturday Night's Matchup Against The Celtics

LA will have to capitalize on some Boston injuries tonight.

Your Los Angeles Lakers will kick off their road trip tonight with a bang, facing off against their longtime rivals, the Boston Celtics, at TD Garden.

Boston will be missing two of its top defenders, point guard Marcus Smart and center Robert Williams, while LA may be missing three of its best players -- LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Lonnie Walker IV. If that trio of Lakers can't suit up, LA will be hard-pressed to keep this close. It seems more likely that two of the three, James and Davis, will be available, while Walker continues to rehabilitate a left knee tendinitis injury that has waylaid him for the past 14 games.

All Lakers' Noah Camras and Alex Kirschenbaum have today's expert predictions ready for your consumption:

1. Which Laker needs to step up to help LeBron James and Anthony Davis (assuming they play) offensively?

Alex: Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schröder, LA's two-headed point guard rotation (who occasionally share the floor, along with 6'1" Patrick Beverley, in an unnecessarily tiny lineup), need to take advantage of Marcus Smart's absence in a big way tonight for LA to have a prayer.

Noah: I want to see a big game for newest Laker Rui Hachimura. In his final game in Washington, he tied his career-high with 30 points and knocked down three treys. I'd love to see him make a big impact on both ends of the floor, and add a nice scoring punch as the third scorer on this team.

2. Did Jayson Tatum deserve to finish among the East's All-Star frontcourt starters?

Noah: The East is just loaded with star power, so you can't really go wrong with any of them. But yes, with the way Tatum is playing, he definitely deserved to represent the East as a starter. He's averaging career-highs in points (31.1), rebounds (8.7) and assists (4.4) per game, and, the Celtics have the best record in all of basketball.

Alex: So Tatum, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetotkounmpo were voted into the three Eastern Conference All-Star starting slots this week, narrowly edging out Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who's now a shoo-in to be named an All-Star reserve. I think Durant, who among the four has missed the most games and might not even be healthy in time for All-Star Weekend next month, should have been the reserve among the group. Tatum numbers among probably the top four or five MVP contenders this season, he's continuing to evolve as a terrific two-way force.

3. What's your favorite LeBron James game against the Celtics?

Alex: Game six of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals is an easy answer, sure -- but there's a reason for that. This more than anything else represented a massive turning point for a player who to that point had yet to win a title. The Celtics led their series with LBJ's Miami Heat 3-2 heading into the contest, coasting a bit on the significant championship equity they had built up thanks to their core starting five's two NBA Finals appearances to that point (including a win in 2008 against the Lakers). But James just refused to lose. He had a focus and determination to take over as a scorer, despite a valiant shooting night from future 2020 title-winning Laker Rajon Rondo for the Celtics. It was one of the most spectacular playoff performances I've ever seen. James would go on to win his first title ever that season, a five-game "gentlemen's sweep" of a series against eventual LA teammate Russell Westbrook's Oklahoma City Thunder.

Noah: I'll go with the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals in Game 7. James quite literally put his Cleveland Cavaliers on his back, scoring 35 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, as he led his team to an 87-79 victory. He did all of that on his way to his eighth straight NBA Finals — just unbelievable. 

4. How will Rui Hachimura fare against LA?

Noah: Well I already said I think he needed to have a big game tonight, and on ABC primetime, I think he'll do just that. After the disrespect that came from former Laker Shaquille O'Neal on TNT saying he didn't know who Hachimura was, he'll make sure everyone knows his name after tonight. He'll put in his first 20-point game as a Laker.

Alex: The newest Laker had a solid debut in limited minutes against the lowly San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. But San Antonio wants to lose every game it plays. This is a horse of a different color. It will be interesting to see how Hachimura is integrated into Darvin Ham's rotation today from a minutes/lineup perspective against a team that's actually trying to win. I'm cautiously optimistic that he'll finish with an efficient, double-digit scoring night.

5. Will LA beat the game's current spread, which lists Boston as an 8.5-point favorite?

Alex: With LeBron James and Anthony Davis available, yes it will (as I said before). If either Laker is absent, no it won't. If both All-Stars play, Los Angeles might even win.

Noah: The Lakers will cover as long as both LeBron and AD play. And, with the injuries Boston has in their starting lineup, if the Lakers can play an all-around game, I think they can even get the upset victory in the TD Garden.