Entering the month, the Boston Celtics had the hardest schedule in the league for December, facing opponents with an average winning percentage of 0.610. They started the month with a win against Philadelphia that came down to the wire, then lost to the Utah Jazz (who put up 27 three pointers), and then blew out the Portland Trail Blazers, 145-117.

Their matchup tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers will be another difficult test this month. Los Angeles (12-12) are coming off a rough loss to the LA Clippers (12-11) with LeBron James returning from health and safety protocols.

Key Players

Jayson Tatum

After a slow start to the season, Tatum is finally starting to find his stride. The last three games he has averaged 31.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game with only 1.3 turnovers per game. Since he started elevating his play, the Celtics have looked like a whole new team putting up 124.3 points per game. Considering how hot Tatum has been and the fact that he put up 37 points in their last meeting, he’s got a good chance to explode tonight as well.

Dennis Schroder

Not only has Tatum been stepping up his game, but Dennis Schroder has been playing at an amazing level this month, being the second leading scorer each of the past three games behind Tatum. The past three games, Schroder is averaging 23.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. All this while shooting almost 48% from the field. With Jaylen Brown being sidelined with a lingering hamstring injury, Schroder has been stepping up the scoring when needed. He put up 21 points the last time these two teams met in November.

LeBron James

Coming back from health and safety protocols, LeBron scored 23 points in his return against the Clippers. Obviously, the Lakers run through James, who is averaging 27 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game in his last five games. With James playing this year, the Lakers are 7-5 averaging 115.2 points per game compared to 5-7 with 108.3 points per game without him. If James can play at the level he’s known for, the Lakers could give Boston a run for their money. James had 23 points in their last meeting with 3 turnovers.

Russell Westbrook

Despite averaging 20.3 points, 8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game, Westbrook was held to 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists in the first meeting against the Celtics in November. While being guarded against guards Marcus Smart and Dennis Schroder, Westbrook scored only 1 point. If Westbrook can figure out how to score on the Boston guards, tonights game has the potential of being more competitive than their last outing in November.

The game is scheduled for tonight, 12/7 for 10pm ET.