Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis drives the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Monday, Dec. 25, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
LOS ANGELES – The Boston Celtics were happy to share Christmas and that propelled them to a historic celebration against the Los Angeles Lakers.x
Led by Kristaps Porzingis’ 28 points and 11 rebounds, all five starters scored at least 18 points for the Celtics in a 126-115 victory over the Lakers on Monday.
Jayson Tatum added 25 points, Jaylen Brown had 19 points and Derrick White had 18 points and 11 assists for Boston, which has won three straight and 12 of its last 14.
“Honestly, we all know that if we pick up the pace, one of us will have a chance. And I feel like when we have that energy, and you know, if I run to my spot and run to my lanes, I’m going to get the ball, that makes everyone do it and it’s a lot harder to do it. .” – said Jrue Holiday, who scored 18 points and seven assists.
Anthony Davis scored 40 points with a game-high 13 rebounds, LeBron James had 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but the Lakers have lost six of eight since winning their first offseason tournament.
Anthony Davis lost 40 PTS and 13 REB in a difficult game #NBAXmas Celtics defeat 🎄 pic.twitter.com/XPeq88d7BV
—NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2023
“I don’t think we’re healthy right now. “I don’t think we’re where we want to be to compete with the best teams until we continue to get better and better and continue to develop habits,” James said. “For us, we’re still trying to figure out our situation, how much we want to keep attacking every game, but we’ll get better.”
It was the third Christmas Day game between the league’s two most historic franchises. The Minneapolis Lakers won in Boston in 1951 and Los Angeles won in 2008.
The Celtics outscored the Lakers’ starting lineup, scoring the first 12 points, fueled by a three-pointer from Brown, and leading by as many as 18 in the first quarter.
After trailing for the only time in the game early in the third quarter on a Jarred Vanderbilt dunk, Boston scored seven straight points to regain the lead.
Boston managed to hold off Los Angeles in the fourth quarter despite Davis reaching the 40-point mark for the 40th time in a regular-season game.
Every Boston player scored at least four points in the first quarter and did so again in the fourth. As Porzingis pointed out, with better three-point shooting, it could have been an even more convincing victory. The Celtics were 13 of 42 (31%) on three-pointers.
“I’m very happy with the game we played as a team,” Porzingis said. “And, honestly, we played really good basketball. We just didn’t do or film what we normally film outside. But other than that, I think we played very well.”
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis reacts to a 3-pointer during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Monday, Dec. 25, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
There were too many mistakes elsewhere for the Lakers to capitalize on on the rare occasion they were the better team from long range, shooting 40.6% from 3 (13 of 32).
Coach Darwin Ham compiled a list of mistakes almost as long as Santa Claus’s, details he said Los Angeles can’t afford to get bored of if it wants to compete for a championship at the end of the season. They ranged from pass defense to tackle and turnover.
Davis called one of his missed free throws in the decisive third quarter a small mistake that made a big difference.
“You’re always thinking about the shots you could have made, the defensive plays you could have made, the rebounds you could have made, the free throws you could have made, things like that that could have changed the game,” Davis said. . “I missed a free throw in the third quarter and they ended up getting a 3-point fast break, and all he was thinking was if he made the free throw, it wasn’t going to happen.”
Both teams got scared when Brown and James collided with 4:02 left in the second. Brown was returning to the ball when he misstepped and stopped, prompting James to knee him in the back. Each player was prepared on the court and Brown returned to the locker room before returning for the third quarter.
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FURTHER
Celtics: Host Detroit on Thursday.
Lakers: They will host Charlotte on Thursday.
2023-12-26 09:08:08
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