A matchup between two franchises with 35 combined NBA championships takes place this Sunday, when the Boston Celtics (36-19) march into Crypto.com Arena to face the Los Angeles Lakers (34-21). The Celtics own a 211-166 all-time series record vs. the Lakers, who will aim to chip away at that deficit with a big win today.
Celtics vs. Lakers tips off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday from Los Angeles, CA, live on NBC and Peacock.
Below, we’ll break down our Celtics vs. Lakers prediction and Sunday NBA picks for PrizePicks. Use PrizePicks NBA to make picks on player projections and earn real money if you’re right.
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Celtics vs. Lakers Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
There has perhaps been no bigger surprise in the NBA than what the Celtics have been able to do. Without superstar F Jayson Tatum, it looked like this would be at best an average season for the C’s and, at worst, a potential lottery effort. Instead, they currently occupy the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
They’ll have to continue playing well if they’re going to fend off the Knicks and Cavaliers, who are both just one game behind them in the standings, with the latter on a seven-game win streak.
Lakers fans have to be excited to see their team finally healthy, with no players listed on the injury report. Their trio of superstars in F LeBron James, SG Austin Reaves, and PG Luka Doncic has played 11 games together this season, going 8-3.
L.A. is coming off a big home win vs. the Los Angeles Clippers and currently sits in the fifth seed in a congested Western Conference playoff race. Only one game separates the third through sixth seeds.
When healthy, can this Lakers team compete with any squad in the league? A prediction of “Yes” for the Lakers to hoist this year’s Larry O’Brien Trophy is currently returning a 22.22x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks.
Celtics vs. Lakers Spread, Over/Under
The Celtics enter Sunday’s game as 1.5-point road favorites, returning a 1.75x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Lakers are short home underdogs with a 1.96x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Boston Celtics -1.5 (1.78x payout)
- Over/Under: 228.5 (1.85x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Celtics 1.75x | Lakers 1.96x
Team Picks payouts are live as of writing and are subject to change.
Celtics vs. Lakers Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Celtics vs. Lakers injury report for Sunday, via NBA.com.
Boston Celtics Injury Report
- SF Jayson Tatum (Achilles): OUT
Los Angeles Lakers Injury Report
- No players listed
Celtics vs. Lakers Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to help you make your Celtics vs. Lakers prediction on the spread today.
- The Lakers are 18-8-0 (69.2%) against the spread (ATS) at home. In fact, as home underdogs, they're 7-1-0 (87.5%) ATS, the best percentage in the NBA.
- Boston is 11-17-0 (39.3%) ATS away from TD Garden, the fifth-worst record in the NBA.
- The lone 2025-26 clash between these two teams may have seen the Celtics win 126-105, but both James and Doncic missed that game in early December.
- With a total projected at 228.5, this game is expected to be fairly offensive. The healthy Lakers may hold the advantage, sitting second in the NBA in both effective field goal percentage (57.1%) and true shooting percentage (60.8%).
- The Celtics rank 10th in eFG% (55.2%) and 14th in TS% (58%).
Celtics vs. Lakers Picks for PrizePicks Today: 2/22/26
Here are two of the top Celtics vs. Lakers picks to consider for PrizePicks today. Player projections are via the PrizePicks real-money NBA game.
Celtics F Jaylen Brown vs. Lakers Projection: 39.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Brown is averaging 41 points, rebounds, and assists (PRA) this season and 42.4 PRA on the road.
- This increase stems from JB posting 2.2 more points, 0.1 more rebounds, and 0.3 more assists away from home.
- This is a solid pace-up game for the Celtics, who rank dead last in the NBA in pace compared to the Lakers, who rank 20th.
- Brown went for 30-8-8 (46 PRA) in his lone outing vs. Los Angeles this year.
- The Lakers have the seventh-worst defensive rating in the NBA (116.7). They also allow opponents to shoot 48.7% from the field, fourth-worst.
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Lakers PG Luka Doncic vs. Celtics Projection: 44.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- This projection might be low for a player of Doncic’s caliber. With him playing 38 minutes (and going for 55 PRA) in his last outing, a minutes limit seems like a thing of the past.
- Luka is averaging 49.4 PRA, including 0.5 more points and 3.5% better shooting from deep at home.
- The Celtics give up 39 3-point attempts per game, the fifth-most in the NBA. Doncic hoists 10.3 attempts from deep each night, the second-highest average of his career.
Make Celtics vs. Lakers Picks on PrizePicks
The basketball world could be in for a fun one this Sunday, and you can get all your NBA action right here on PrizePicks. Celtics vs. Lakers picks aren’t the only way hoops fans can get in on the daily NBA action.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 34 states.
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