Lakers vs. Celtics, Preview, Picks and Prediction, Friday, November 5th, 2025
Use Code WWWC The Los Angeles Lakers (15-5) and the Boston Celtics (12-9) renew their rivalry on Friday night as both teams will on the tail end of a back-to-back in this Lakers vs. Celtics prediction. The Lakers are playing in Toronto on Thursday night, as the Celtics are hosting the Wizards (Note: This article was published before Thursday's results). This is the first of two matchups between these teams this season. Tipoff is set for 7:00 EST and can be found on Amazon Prime. Keep reading to see our Lakers vs. Celtics prediction, and check out all of our winning NBA Picks!
Los Angeles Heads East
The Los Angeles Lakers are crossing the country to play three games on the East Coast, visiting Toronto, Boston and Philadelphia over the weekend. They have been strong on the road so far, winning eight of their ten games off their home floor. Before this road trip, they won seven games in a row before finally falling to the Suns by 17 points. In the Phoenix game, Luka Doncic had 38 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
Doncic is playing some of the best basketball of his life as he leads the Lakers in points, rebounds, and assists. It is unclear if Doncic will play in this one; he is missing the Toronto game as he is with his wife in Slovenia after she just gave birth to their second child. If he cannot make it back in time, Austin Reaves would be their top scoring option. Reaves is having a career year, scoring 28.1 PPG and dishing out 6.6 APG. His previous career high in scoring was 20.2 PPG last year. LeBron James still has his legendary streak of consecutive games with at least ten points going, but it was in jeopardy against Phoenix, where he finished with exactly ten. Through five games, LeBron is averaging 15.2 PPG and 7.2 APG.
Deandre Ayton joined the team in the offseason to be the starting center and has been solid with 15.8 PPG and 8.6 RPG. The Lakers rank 7th in offensive efficiency and 17th in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. Los Angeles typically does not play at a fast pace, ranking 24th in the league in possessions per game.
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Celtics Win Four of Five
The Boston Celtics have had to adjust to life without Jayson Tatum, as the superstar will be sidelined for the majority of the season with his torn Achilles tendon. They are still a competitive group, as they have won four of their last five heading into Thursday, with their lone loss coming by only four points on the road against Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves. The Celtics' 12-9 record places them in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. In their most recent action, Jaylen Brown had a strong showing with 42 points in a win over the Knicks.
Brown has been carrying the scoring load for Boston; he is averaging 29.0 PPG this year, but, similar to Doncic, it is unclear if he will play in this game. Brown will miss the Thursday game against the Wizards with an illness, so he is questionable to go here. Payton Pritchard will be available here. He has blossomed after stepping into the starting lineup after serving as their spark off the bench for the past several years. Pritchard is getting 17.1 PPG and 4.7 APG. Derrick White continues to provide steady play for Boston; he is averaging 16.3 PPG and 5.1 APG.
Anfernee Simons is the new scoring spark off the bench, he is contributing 13.6 PPG and has yet to start a game for Boston. The Celtics are ranked 4th in offensive efficiency and 12th in defensive efficiency. Boston is playing at the slowest pace in the league, averaging just 99.4 possessions per game, the only team under 100.
Injury Report for Lakers vs. Celtics:
Lakers:
- Questionable: Luka Doncic (35.3 PPG). Personal.
- Out: Marcus Smart (9.3 PPG)
Celtics:
- Questionable: Jaylen Brown (29.0 PPG)
- Out: Jayson Tatum
Lakers vs. Celtics Picks and Predictions
Spread pick for Lakers vs. Celtics
- Lakers +7 (5 units)
The top two scorers are listed as questionable for this game, but that is the exact reason I will side with the Lakers. First, if we assume both players can play, Jaylen Brown is coming off an illness so bad that he had to sit out the night before, while Doncic is in good health, coming back from the birth of his second child. On the other side, if we assume both stars miss the game, the Lakers have the stronger supporting case with Reaves, LeBron and Ayton leading the way. LeBron has been allowing Doncic and Reaves to carry the scoring load, but we all know he can still put up big numbers when needed, especially if Doncic is out of the game.
Take the Lakers to cover.
Over/Under Pick for Lakers vs. Celtics
- Under 223.5 (4 units)
Two slow-paced teams could be potentially playing without their best players, which will lead to a low-scoring game hitting the under. First off, these teams are both playing their second game in two nights, meaning there could be some last-second players getting pulled from the lineup for rest. Each team is likely to go deeper into their rotation, giving minutes to players that typically are not in their first or second groups. Boston plays at the slowest pace in the league and has a strong defense that will slow this game down. Expect a low-scoring game here.
Take the under.
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