The two most storied franchises in NBA history will do battle at TD Garden on Sunday as the Boston Celtics entertain the challenge of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The home side have won each of their last three matches heading into this weekend's blockbuster clash, in which their visitors will target a ninth consecutive victory.
Match preview
Having lost consecutive games for the first time since Christmas Day in their final outing of February and opening involvement in March, the Celtics edged out the Denver Nuggets in the clash of the most recent two champions before seeing off the Portland Trail Blazers and most recently the Philadelphia 76ers.
A dominant display from Joe Mazzulla's men saw them head into the locker room with a whopping 18-point advantage which proved to be unassailable over the final 24 minutes of a largely one-sided affair.
After missing his side's win over the Blazers, Jayson Tatum returned with a bang as he tallied a game-high 35 points on 14-23 shooting, including 5-11 from three-point land to go along with seven rebounds and two assists despite not featuring in the fourth quarter.
Now five victories clear of the New York Knicks in second place in the Eastern standings, the Celtics look set to withstand any late competition for the number two seed in the conference, although in the same vein, they are not expected to usurp current leaders Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the fifth of a seven-game home stretch, the Celtics will be keen to keep the juggernaut rolling in front of their fans with a win against their biggest rivals before welcoming the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Not every blockbuster trade in NBA history has gone as planned for the parties involved, but Luka Doncic's early days as a Laker so far currently point to a successful spell in Los Angeles for the Slovenian.
Following Friday's hard-fought overtime 113-109 win over the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena, JJ Redick's men have now won each of their last eight games and are 8-2 with Doncic in the starting lineup.
Doncic (32 points and eight assists) and LeBron James (31 points and 12 rebounds) have had little issue connecting with each other as they both recorded 30-point performances for the second game running.
The Lakers' recent barrage of wins has seen them climb up to second place in the West, albeit having played one game more than the Denver Nuggets directly beneath them in the standings heading into the final quarter of the regular season.
Sunday's trip to Boston tips off a demanding four-game road trip for the visitors, who will follow up this weekend's affair with games against the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets.
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Team News
Jaylen Brown and Sam Hauser are both huge doubts for Sunday's heavyweight meeting, having both missed the Celtics' victory over the 76ers through knee and ankle injuries respectively.
Kristaps Porzingis also missed the aforementioned game through illness and could also be absent this weekend alongside Al Horford (toe sprain) and Jrue Holiday (finger).
One of only two players this season (the other being reigning MVP Nikola Jokic) to lead their team in points, rebounds and assists, Tatum continues to enjoy a splendid individual campaign and is one to keep an eye on.
Maxi Kleber and Rui Hachimura are both guaranteed absentees for the Los Angeles Lakers here, with the former undergoing surgery on his right foot last month, while the latter suffered a left patellar tendinopathy earlier this month.
Markieff Morris did not play any part in his side's win over the Knicks due to an illness, and it remains to be seen if the power forward will be fit enough to participate in this one.
Boston Celtics possible starting five:
White, Tatum; Peterson, Kornet; Porzingis
Los Angeles Lakers starting five:
Doncic, Reaves; James, Finney-Smith; Hayes
We say: Lakers to win by 5+ points
Given the Celtics' current injury crisis, the Lakers will be confident of coming out on top in Massachusetts for the second game running, and we can see them doing enough to get the job done.
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