The Los Angeles Lakers got a bit of a boost with the news of their star forward’s return to the floor in a big road game against their eternal rivals the Boston Celtics, but it wasn’t enough.
Things started off decently enough for the Lakers, who were visiting the Celtics, with the first quarter ending 33-30 in favor of the home team.
The Celtics kept their feet on the gas in the second quarter, while the Lakers began to falter. That period finished 36-25 and left the halftime score at 69-55.
Boston continued their high-scoring ways in the third quarter, showing utter domination as they pushed the lead to 28 points late in the third quarter thanks to a three from Gordon Hayward (16 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST).
The Lakers looked tired, out of sorts and found themselves behind 24 points to start the fourth quarter, and the entire period was effectively garbage time.
Jayson Tatum (27 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST) was on form and led the Celtics, hitting threes off the dribble, attacking the basket, and being an unrelenting force on the offensive end. He finished with the game’s best plus/minus of +32.
The Celtics were on fire from beyond the arc, shooting 16 of 34, good for 47.1%. They also shot 52 of 93 from the field overall. The hot shooting played a big part in them pushing the lead up to a high of 33 points, the most the Lakers have been behind this season.
Their high-production starters certainly delivered, with Kemba Walker (20 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST), and Jaylen Brown (20 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL) contributing well. They also got a big boost off the bench thanks to a double-double from Enes Kanter (18 PTS, 11 REB).
LeBron James (15 PTS, 7 REB, 13 AST) and Anthony Davis (9 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST) did not perform to the lofty standards that they’ve set for themselves this season. Davis, in particular, didn’t look like his aggressive self as he works his way back from injury. He only took a total of 7 shots in the entire game. Frank Vogel sat them for good with 8:40 remaining in the final stanza.
No one from the Lakers managed to hit the 20-point mark, which was a stark contrast from the Celtics who were two missed Enes Kanter free throws away from seeing four players hit the mark.
The Lake Show have posted a 1-2 record in their last three games. They still lead the west with an 34-9 record, so they won’t be so worried for now. They’ve also shown that they respond well to adversity, reeling off 9 wins in a row after their recent four-game skid. That was ended by the Orlando Magic the other day, and this 139-107 loss to the Celtics should galvanize them again. They have the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets coming up next, and I wouldn’t want to be those guys right now.
The Celtics will savor this huge win, because they’ve got two tough games coming up. They face the exciting Memphis Grizzlies next, followed by the Orlando Magic.
