The Los Angeles Lakers looked to make a statement with the defending champion Boston Celtics in town and they were able to do just that against its cross-conference rivals.
Anthony Davis led all scorers with 24 points and Austin Reaves had 23 to help the Lakers earn an empathic 117-96 victory over the Celtics on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
“I thought that was one of if not our best games in terms of executing the defensive game plan,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick.
Los Angeles improved to 24-18 with the win and held the Celtics to 38 percent shooting from the floor, dominating the game from start to finish.
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“Make ‘em put it on the floor. They shoot very well when they get a catch-and-shoot, but it kind of drops significantly when they have to put it on the floor, so that was our game-plan,” said Davis.
Boston capped its four-game west coast road trip and fell to 31-14 with the loss, one day after beating the Clippers 117-113 in overtime in the first set of their back-to-back on Wednesday.
“I’m sure that may have played a small part into it, but it’s not an excuse,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla on team fatigue. “It’s part of the game.”
LeBron James, who was voted as an All-Star for the 21st consecutive season finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists for the Lakers. Dalton Knecht had 13, Gabe Vincent added 12, and Rui Hachimura finished with 10 to round out six players finishing in double figures for LA.
Kristaps Porzingis had a team-high 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 17 for Boston. Jayson Tatum, who was also voted as an All-Star starter, added 16 points for the Celtics.
“Being an All-Star is a hell of an accomplishment,” said Tatum. “Being a starter, just knowing that the fans support you and appreciate you and want to see you out there,”
The Lakers led 34-23 in the first quarter and jumped out to a commanding 67-48 lead at halftime. Los Angeles made 11 of its 15 three-pointers in the first half, tying a season high.
“We had a gameplan, and we executed it,” said James. “For the majority of the 48 minutes, we executed it against a great team, the defending champions, great players, and they’re going to put you in situations that are uncomfortable, but you’re going to have to be uncomfortable in order to compete.”
The Celtics started the third quarter on a 14-7 run after Tatum made a three-pointer to get Boston back within 12.
Boston did go on to outscore Los Angeles 20-16 in the third. However, the Lakers led by as many as 28 in the fourth. Knecht made a three-pointer that extended the lead to 117-89 with 1:32 left in the game.
“Second half, I felt like we came out better, but they already had a good lead and I think there was one good moment we had where we could’ve made it to seven or nine (points),” said Porzingis. “Missed the free throws, and then again, they went on a little run and it slipped out of our hands, so it was not a good night for us and a good night for them.”
Even with the dominant and impressive 117-96 victory for the Lakers, Davis stated that he would benefit the most if the team would be able to get another big man before the trade deadline approaching two weeks.
“I just feel like, personally, I’m a better player at the 4,” said Davis.
Los Angeles had multiple impact centers on the 2020 NBA championship roster such as Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee. It allowed Davis to play more at the power forward spot at times.
“The reality is that isn’t a new report,” Redick said. “I got the job six months ago so I know that. I’ve followed this team since I’ve retired. Just put a date next to it and that’s the new report. It’s not a big deal. Those guys want to win. We want to win.”
The Lakers will next begin a six-game road trip, first traveling to face the Golden State Warriors (22-22) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
