Los Angeles (AP) The Boston Celtics’ joyous celebration on Christmas Day helped them defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in a historic holiday game.
The Celtics defeated the Lakers 126-115 on Monday, with all five starters scoring at least 18 points, led by Kristaps Porzingis, who finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds.
With 25 points from Jayson Tatum, 19 from Jaylen Brown, and 18 points and 11 assists from Derrick White, Boston has won three in a row and 12 of the last 14.
“To be honest, we all know that one of us will get a chance if we pick up the tempo. Jrue Holiday, who finished with 18 points and seven assists, said, “I feel like when we have that energy and you know if I run to my spot and I run to my lanes I’m going to get the ball, it just makes everybody do it and do it that much harder.”
LeBron James had 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Anthony Davis had a game-high 40 points and 13 rebounds, but the Lakers have lost six of their last eight games since winning the first-ever In-Season Tournament.
We’re not healthy at the moment, in my opinion. Until we improve more and keep improving our habits, I don’t think we’re ready to compete against the best teams,” James stated. “For our part, we’re still figuring out how we want to approach each game going forward, but we’ll get better.”
It was the third encounter between the league’s two most illustrious teams on Christmas Day. Los Angeles prevailed in 2008, while the Minneapolis Lakers triumphed in Boston in 1951.
With a 3-pointer from Brown capping the first 12 points, the Celtics easily outscored the Lakers’ starting lineup and went on to lead by as many as 18 points in the first quarter.
Boston scored seven points in a row to take the lead back after falling behind for the only time during the third quarter when Jarred Vanderbilt drained a basket.
Even though Davis scored 40 points for the 40th time in a regular season game, Boston managed to hold Los Angeles at bay in the last quarter.
Each Boston starter scored four points or more in the first quarter and again in the fourth. As Porzingis pointed out, it might have been an even more decisive win with some improved 3-point shooting. In the end, the Celtics lost 13 of 42 (31%) from 3.
“I’m really pleased with the team game we played,” Porzingis remarked. And to be honest, we had excellent basketball play. Simply put, we didn’t create or photograph what we typically do from outside. However, other from that, I believe we performed admirably.
The Lakers made too many mistakes elsewhere to capitalize on a rare opportunity to outperform the opposition from a distance, shooting 40.6% from three (13 of 32).
Coach Darvin Ham rattled off a list of mistakes that was almost as lengthy as Santa’s, stating that if Los Angeles hopes to contend for a title at the conclusion of the season, they cannot afford to become weary of the details. They included turnovers, rebounding, and transition defense.
Davis cited one of his missed free throws from the pivotal third quarter as an example of a small error that had a significant impact.
“You constantly consider all the things that could have changed the game, like shots you could have made, defensive plays you could have made, rebounds you could have had, free throws I could have made,” Davis remarked. “I was only thinking that if I made the free throw, it wouldn’t happen when I missed one in the third quarter and they ended up getting a fast-break three.”
With 4:02 remaining in the second, Brown and James were shook up in a collision that gave both teams a concern. James kneed Brown in the back after he took a weak stride and pulled up while cutting back to the ball. After attending to every player on the floor, Brown returned to the locker room before returning to begin the third quarter.
