NBA Daily Picks for February 1, 2024: Austin Reaves assist total, Lakers vs Celtics and more
The LA Lakers and Boston Celtics will compete on Thursday night in a highly anticipated cross-conference game with plenty of history. The two teams have long been considered among the biggest rivals in professional sports, and Thursday night's game is sure to be a show-stopper. Unfortunately for fans, the game won't include two of the league's biggest stars.
According to the NBA's injury report, both Anthony Davis and LeBron James will be sidelined for the game. James will be out with an ankle injury, while Davis will miss his second straight game with Achilles and hip soreness.
Before tipoff later tonight, let's look at the NBA Daily Picks for the Lakers vs. Celtics matchup.
NBA Daily Picks for February 1, Lakers vs. Celtics matchup
5: O/U points total
The Lakers vs. Celtics game is projected to have an O/U of 241 points according to DraftKings, with -115 odds for the over, and -105 odds for the under at the time of publication.
To put things in laymans terms, the NBA community is incredibly split on whether or not the points total for the Lakers vs. Celtics game will exceed 241. For reference, the Lakers average 116.1 points per game, while the Celtics average 120.4.
4: O/U Jaylen Brown points total
Heading into the Lakers vs. Celtics game, Jaylen Brown's point total sits at 23.5 on DraftKings sportsbook. The over for tonight's game sits at -110, while the under sits at -120, again indicating fans are incredibly divided.
So far this season, Brown has averaged 22.6 points per game. However, when looking at the month of January, Brown is averaging just 22.0 ppg. Given that, it sounds as though he could come up short of the 23.5 mark. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis out, that could change.
3: O/U Jayson Tatum points total
Jayson Tatum has continued to impress during his time in the NBA, and this season has been no different. His over/under for Thursday night is set at 27.5, with -130 odds for the over and +100 odds for the under.
Given that Tatum has rattled off four straight games with 30 or more points, it seems as though fans are expecting a big game for the Celtics star. With James and Davis out, expect Tatum to come out aggressive early.
2: O/U Austin Reaves assists total
With LeBron James out, Austin Reaves is expected to do much of the facilitating in his absence. Currently, when looking at DraftKings sportsbook, Reaves has an over/under assists total of 6.5.
Odds lean in favor of the over at -135, while odds for the under sit at +105. This season, he has averaged 5.2 assists per game, a career high. Over the past five games, he has crossed the 6.5 assist-mark only once.
1: D'Angelo Russell 3-pointers made
Offensive threat D'Angelo Russell currently has an over/under on DraftKings sportsbook of 3.5 3-pointers made for tonight's game. The odds lean in favor of the under with -160, while the odds for the over sit at +124.
During the regular season, Russell is averaging just 2.6 three-pointers made per game, with a 3-point percentage of 41.7% on the season. Given that, the odds favoring the under seem to be backed up by this season's stats.