Basketball / Andy Morris / 19 February 2010 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Even without Kobe Bryant, the Lakers are still worth backing against the Celtics, argues Andy Morris.

...the Lakers have not exactly struggled in Bryant’s absence

Statistically, home court advantage in the NBA is supposed to be worth a three-point start.

Oh yeah?

Well, the Lakers can tell you a few things about home advantage.

The Lakers are an impressive 16-9 on the road this season, a .640 record.

And at the Staples Center?

Wins: 26, losses: 4!

Indeed, against Eastern Conference opposition, they have only dropped one home game of the nine they have played so far.

So, their NBA glory might still be relatively fresh in the Celtics' minds but they know just how hard it will be to win in Los Angeles.

On paper, they have a better chance right now, given that Kobe is doubtful with a sprained left ankle.

However, the Lakers have not exactly struggled in Bryant's absence. With the 12-time All-Star sitting out his four games on the sidelines, they are undefeated. Shannon Brown may be a significant downgrade on Bryant, but he is a fine player - on Tuesday he had career highs with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Los Angeles have won their last three match-ups with the Celtics, while coach Phil Jackson has swept Boston five times while he has been in charge of the Lakers.

They edged a thrill-fest against the Celtics 90-89 on January 31, outscoring Boston 20-8 over the final nine minutes of the contest, while their all-time record against Boston at the Staples Center stands at 7-3.

The Lakers are fifth in the NBA in points scored, averaging 103.2, while the Celtics are way back in 18th place, and they board far better than the Celtics too, averaging 44.85 total offensive rebounds to lie second in the league, while Boston are a miserable 29th with less than 39 boards per game.

The Celtics are a better defensive team overall, ranking first in the league in points conceded at 93.7, but it's hard to see them doing a sufficiently good containing job on a line-up featuring Ron Artest, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

As they showed recently, they can give the Lakers a good test in Boston, but this is in LA, and you can chalk it down as a Lakers victory.