The Boston Celtics continued their four-game road trip with a visit to Los Angeles to play the Lakers Sunday night. Boston rolled to a seventh victory of the month of February as they log a wire to wire win, 111-89 against their rival franchise. Jaylen Brown once again led Boston in scoring with 32 points, Payton Pritchard was unstoppable with 30 points of his own, including a mixtape of tough shots all night, as no Laker could match the former sixth man of the year.
The Lakers started Marcus Smart,
Austin Reeves, DeAndre Ayton, Luka Dončić, and LeBron James. Boston started the game with Brown, White, Queta, Hauser, and Scheierman. Boston started off the game a tad sluggish as the Lakers scored the first four points of the game. Scheierman hit a corner three to finally get the C’s on the board at the ten-minute mark of the first quarter.
Big men Nemias Queta and DeAndre Ayton traded baskets as both teams settled into the game flow. Luka got in on the scoring for LA, and Hauser drained a pair of open triples for Boston as the scores were tied at 15 apiece in an entertaining start to the first quarter. Pritchard and Vooch entered the game for Boston at the six-minute mark, and they were spectators to a Jaylen Brown steal and loud two-handed jam.
Brown laced a pretty baseline jumper for his sixth point on 3-7 from the field early. Vooch sealed Doncic on the low block, and Brown fed him in the key with a sweet mini hook shot for his first points of the game. Kennard hit his first shot of the game with LeBron looking on from the bench as the Lakers took an early 25-21 lead. Derrick White got into the key and hit a push shot floater to tie the game at 25 points.
Hugo Gonzalez was tasked with sticking on Luka Doncic late in the first and held his own against the former Real Madrid star. Doncic rushed a step back, and Hugo stayed draped all over the Slovenian All-Star. Derrick White had a brilliant steal on Vanderbilt and fed the neat alley-oop dunk to Vucevic.
In a hectic end to the quarter, Jordan Walsh had a massive block from behind and an unfortunate turnover with an errand pass to Pritchard. LeBron missed his layup, and Walsh was whistled with a foul for leaping over Reaves for a tip-in attempt. Gonzalez had a horrible foul on Reaves with under a second to go as he hit his three free throws to get the Lakers back even at 28-28 to end the first quarter.
Payton Pritchard scored Boston’s first 6 points of the second quarter, including a nasty stepback triple over Vanderbilt, as the pace was extremely hectic. Brown inadvertently kicked Queta in the face on a loose ball play. Brown had a jumper and connected with Smart’s chin. Austin Reaves was whistled for a tech for clapping at the refs as Brown drained the technical free throw. Former Celtic Marcus Smart kept chirping at the refs, and he was then teed up as things got heated.
Scheierman and Brown ran a perfect fast break play off another steal, their sixth of the contest. The C’s were up 38-33 with the Lakers calling a timeout to stop the bleeding. The Lakers came out of the timeout with a play called for Luka Doncic, who calmly hit a bucket in the lane over rookie Hugo Gonzalez.
Doncic hit a triple and argued he was fouled whilst seated on the court. Gonzalez ran the length of the floor for a wide-open layup. Boston was up 44-41 as Luka was getting settled into the contest. Derrick White had a gorgeous catch-and-shoot triple from the corner, off a Pritchard assist in front of the C’s bench, to get Boston’s lead back out to 6 points.
Queta blocked and pinned a LeBron James turnaround into the backboard as the Lakers bench went ballistic as the replay showed a clear goaltend. Brown stripped Doncic as he tried to get into the lane. Boston was super active on the defensive side of things, turning over the Lakers seven times in the first half. White scored his tenth point of the game on another three-pointer, but it was Payton Pritchard who stole the show once more, on a buzzer-beating triple over Doncic to end the half, Boston up 60-50.
Pat Reilly would be honored at half time alongside other Laker legends, as the coaching legend had his statue revealed prior to the game. The second half started as Ayton was whistled for his fourth in the first minute of the second half. Brown hit a three-pointer to open the scoring for Boston, his sixteenth point of the game. Doncic hit a wide open three for his 21st point of the game. Queta got away with placing his hand inside the rim on a defensive play, Reddick was whistled for the team’s third technical as the Lakers were on the wrong side of the whistle.
Pritchard hit his third triple on a deep step back, JB hit a step back jumper over Austin Reaves, Scheierman kept the ball alive with a tip away over three flat footed Lakers. Payton Pritchard grabbed the loose ball and calmly drained his fourth three of the night, Boston still in control 77-65 with three minutes to go in the third.
Reddick and the Lakers successfully challenged a foul call as Brown drove through three white Laker uniforms. However Boston regained possession, and Hugo Gonzalez scored on a cutting layup as the Lakers defenders were caught napping, Boston by 14 points.
Laravia drove and dunked on a broken play, he would becoming the first Laker, not named James or Doncic to score in the third. Jaylen Brown rattled home his second triple to end the second quarter, he had 24 points as Boston led 84-71 with a quarter of play to go.
Joe Mazzulla rolled with Walsh, White, Vucevic, Pritchard and Hauser to start the fourth, that group gave up 5 points to the Lakers, before Boston called a quick timeout to talk about things. Payton Pritchard’s eyes lit up as Lavaria was switched onto him, nailing a step back jumper. Pritchard’s next trip down the floor resulted in another score, his 23rd point over an outstretched Austin Reaves, Boston up 92-77.
A Jaylen Brown mid range step back bucket at the six minute mark, felt like it was all over for the Lakers as the points had dried up, Boston in complete control. LeBron went to the bench with six and half remaining, Luka whistled for an offensive foul on Scheierman, things were going from bad to worse for LA.
JB’s tough and1 drive and fnish on Luka Doncic, saw the Laker faithful head to the carpark early. Lakers went to the deep bench with the white flag flying with three minutes to go in the game. Boston win big time in La La Land by 21 points.
The Celtics next face the Pheonix Suns on Tuesday night.
