Post#3 » by bisme37 » Thu Feb 1, 2024 5:16 pm
Some Celtics-Lakers tidbits from the email NBA.com sent me...
The NBA’s most storied rivalry adds its 300th regular-season chapter tonight in Boston when the Celtics host the Lakers
The Celtics enter matchup No. 300 with a 166-133 edge in head-to-head wins. A few notable stats between the teams:
Scoring: The Celtics (31,889) lead the Lakers (31,226) by 663 total points. That averages out to a 2.22 ppg difference
Shooting: The Celtics and Lakers have both shot the exact same field goal percentage (44.1%) against each other. However, the Celtics (34.4%) hold a slight advantage over the Lakers (33.5%) from 3-point range
Hall of Famers: No two teams have produced as many Hall of Famers as the Celtics (41) and Lakers (31) with a minimum of one game played with the franchise
The number that means the most to this rivalry is 17. The Lakers and Celtics are tied for the most championships in NBA history with 17 apiece.
Boston and L.A. entered the 2023-24 season with championship aspirations, with the teams predicted to finish first and third in their respective conferences.
The Celtics (37-11) took over first place in the East on Nov. 15 and have remained at the top of the conference for the past 79 days, currently holding a five-game lead over Milwaukee
The Lakers (24-25) won the inaugural In-Season Tournament in December, but have struggled to maintain that level of play consistently since. They enter tonight’s matchup a game under .500 and ninth in the West
The Celtics have won the last three games with the Lakers, including their first meeting this season on Christmas Day in Los Angeles (126-115).
Boston enters Thursday looking for their third-straight win overall while holding the NBA’s best home-court advantage (22-2) this season. L.A. (7-17 on the road) is looking to avoid a three-game slide as they make their fourth stop on a six-game road trip.