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The back half of the NBA season is heating up. In prime time on ABC, we have one of the most legendary NBA rivalries on this beautiful Saturday in March. These two teams have the most NBA Championships in NBA history. The Los Angeles Lakers travel east to take on the Boston Celtics. With Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Jayson Tatum on the court, we will surely see some fireworks.
We will preview this wonderful matchup throughout this article, make a game pick and review each team’s regular season thus far.
Boy, oh boy, have the Lakers been a fun team to watch with Luka Dončić and LeBron James paired up on the same court. Since the trade, the Lakers are 7-2 when Luka plays, and he has been doing a little bit of everything, averaging close to 23 points per game and around 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
The three-headed monster of Luka, LeBron and Austin Reaves has been beautiful. They have also had role players like Rui Hachimura take a big step. Then, guys like Dorian Finney-Smith and Jaxson Hayes, who are manning the middle after the departure of Anthony Davis and have improved their games.
This Lakers team may be able to make a run this season with this core group. This team will go as far as Luka and LeBron will take them. However, it depends on how they can defend down the stretch and protect the rim specifically. We will certainly see how this Lakers team stacks up against the reigning NBA Champions.
The Boston Celtics are on pace to make another run into the postseason, sitting as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, as of late, they have been starting to deal with injuries to guys like Kristaps Porzingis, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and Jrue Holiday—all missing their last game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. That was the second night of a back-to-back, so that affected some, but KP has missed four straight games.
With the recent barrage of injuries, we have seen guys like Payton Pritchard and Derrick White step up. Derrick White is one of the best glue guys in the NBA and is an extremely prominent part of this team now and in the future.
It also helps when you have an MVP-caliber player in Jayson Tatum, who leads the team in scoring, rebounding and assists. As long as this Celtics team can get healthy for a playoff run, they have a good chance of repeating as NBA Champions.
Luka Dončić has been doing a little bit of everything for the Los Angeles Lakers since the trade. He has been operating more as a playmaker, especially with the Lakers’ revamped roster. Since Luka joined the team, he’s shown his ability to facilitate and set up teammates.
In this high-profile matchup against the Boston Celtics, Luka will need to be more of a playmaker, especially with Boston’s defense likely focusing on slowing down LeBron James and limiting scoring opportunities from their perimeter players. The Celtics, even with some injuries, remain a formidable defensive team, and the Lakers will need Luka to orchestrate the offense and create opportunities for others.
Given Luka’s playmaking ability and the need for him to distribute the ball in this high-stakes game, dishing out at least nine assists is likely. With Dončić coming off three straight games with 9+ assists and his role as the primary facilitator for this Lakers team, he should hit this number in what promises to be a fast-paced and competitive game.
Dylan has had a love for sports since he was a kid. Four years ago, he decided to dive into the sports content-creating industry specializing in Fantasy Football, NFL and NBA. He has since had his work published on sites that include Fantasy Alarm, Fansided, and Fantasy Six Pack.