LOS ANGELES – The Boston Celtics used a hot start and a strong finish to put away the Los Angeles Lakers 126-115 in a clash of storied National Basketball Association (NBA) franchises on Dec 25.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 28 points and pulled down 11 rebounds and Jayson Tatum added 25 points for the Celtics, who withstood a 40-point effort from Lakers star Anthony Davis in a battle between two teams who share the record for the most NBA titles with 17 apiece.
Said Davis: “You always think about shots you could have made... that could have changed the game.
“I missed a free throw in the third quarter and they end up getting a fast-break three, and all I was thinking was if I make the free throw, that doesn’t happen.”
Lakers star LeBron James, coming off a 40-point performance in a win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Dec 23, scored just 16 points on five-of-14 shooting.
He added nine rebounds and eight assists, but a slightly “lethargic” start – which Lakers coach Darvin Ham said could have been due to holiday distractions or an unusually early afternoon start – proved too much to overcome.
With the Lakers losing six of eight games since winning the inaugural NBA Cup, James said: “I don’t think we’re healthy right now. I don’t think we’re where we want to be to compete versus the top teams until we continue to get better and better, continue to work out habits.”
The Celtics roared to a 12-0 lead and led by as many as 18 before the Lakers began to chip away.
Davis scored 20 first-half points, driving for a basket that cut the deficit to 58-57 in the waning seconds of the first half.
Both teams got a scare late in the second period, when James and Jaylen Brown collided and both went down, James holding his left knee and Brown his back.
James would go briefly to the bench before returning, while Brown went to the locker room and was diagnosed with a lower back bruise. He eventually returned to finish with 19 points.
Tatum said the thing he liked best about the victory was how Boston responded after the Lakers closed the gap, then took a two-point lead early in the third on Jarred Vanderbilt’s dunk.
Boston answered with seven straight points and the Lakers would not get in front again, as the Celtics improved to a league-best 23-6.
“And it’s a big win, right? It’s Christmas Day and it’s tough to win on the road,” Tatum said. “So just the way we responded and executed late in the game.”
In Miami, Jaime Jaquez Jr recorded career highs with 31 points and 10 rebounds, as the Heat took advantage of the absence of injured Philadelphia star Joel Embiid in a 119-113 win over the visitors.
Said the 22-year-old rookie: “Great to get a win, career night, Christmas. I grew up watching these games and to be able to play and have a career night, I just go back to all the hard work, late nights in the gym, preparing for moments like this.” AFP, REUTERS
