The Los Angeles Lakers blew out the Boston Celtics with a 117-96 win. They got great performances from their stars, with Anthony Davis, Lebron James, and Austin Reaves combining for 67 points. The Lakers played without Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood, while the Celtics were fully healthy. Los Angeles improved to 24-18. The Boston Celtics fell to 31-14 with their biggest loss of the season.
The Lakers Hot Start
The Boston Celtics started slow, coming off an overtime thriller with the Clippers. The Lakers took an early lead with three-pointers from Reaves and Max Christie. But the historic rivalry had both teams fired up, and the game soon became competitive. Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis were scoring for Boston, inside and from the perimeter. But Los Angeles maintained their lead, going on a 15-4 run. This gave them a double-digit lead. An emphatic Lebron James dunk gave the Lakers a 34-23 lead to end the first quarter. Davis had 9 points, followed by James and Reaves with 8. Porzingis led Boston with 11 points.
Outside of Porzingis and Brown, the Boston Celtics offense struggled. This helped Los Angeles stay ahead while Boston remained cold. James continued to score, taking advantage of mismatches and throwing down dunks. The Celtics’ defense was also lackadaisical, giving up buckets in the paint and open three-pointers. Meanwhile, the Lakers’ defense was effective, running Boston off the three-point line and forcing tough shots. The Lakers ‘ lead grew with all of these aspects going their way. They were raining down threes, and the game quickly became a blowout. At halftime, the Boston Celtics trailed 67-48.
The Lakers had an excellent first half. They shot 11-of-20 from three for a hot 55%. Los Angeles was beating the Celtics at their own game while outrebounding and out-hustling them. Davis led the team with 14 points. Reaves had 13, and James had 12. The Lakers led by as many as 21. The Boston Celtics weren’t getting much other than Porzingis and Brown. Porzingis had 17 points, and Brown had 12. No one else on the Celtics was making shots, and they were getting decimated because of it. They shot a poor 39% from the field and 30% from three.
The Boston Celtics Slump
The Boston Celtics made efforts to trim the lead in the third quarter. Brown and Porzingis continued to score, but it was to little avail. The Lakers held onto their lead. After a cold first half, Jayson Tatum heated up with a pair of three-pointers, bringing the deficit down to 12. But they went cold again, and the Los Angeles lead returned to its former stature. After a brief scoring run, the Celtics offense stalled out and halted any comeback attempt. So, even when it looked like they were making progress, it was all for nothing because they ended up barely making a dent in the lead. Through three quarters, the Lakers led 83-68.
In the third quarter, the Boston Celtics held the Lakers to just 16 points but only scored 20. It was their best shot to get back into the game, and Los Angeles put them away soon after. James iced the game, leading a 9-0 Lakers run to start the fourth. They went up by as many as 25 points. From there, the Celtics pulled their starters, surrendering the loss to their cross-country rivals. Sam Hauser gave Boston a bit of life with two three-pointers, but the game was basically over. The Lakers extended their large lead in garbage time, putting salt in the Celtics’ wound. They defeated the Boston Celtics 117-96.
Final Thoughts
The Los Angeles Lakers improved to 24-18 with the win. They dominated the defending champions and gave them their largest loss of the year. Davis was unstoppable inside with 24 points. James had 20 points with 14 rebounds. Reaves finished with 23 points. The Boston Celtics fell to 31-14 with the loss. Porzingis was the only efficient scorer with 22 points. It was a poor Boston effort on both sides of the ball. Cold offense combined with lazy defense does not win games, no matter the talent. It further emphasizes the Celtics’ issues over the past two months, and they look like a shell of their former selves.
