Celtics pull away, beat Lakers in Christmas showdown: 10 takeaways
If casual fans start watching the NBA at Christmas, the Celtics gave them a show.
The Celtics finished off their road trip on a strong note, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 126-115 on Christmas Day.
Here are the takeaways.
1. The Celtics did not shoot very well from 3-point range. In fact, the Lakers hit the same number of 3-pointers (13) on 10 fewer attempts (32 for the Lakers, 42 for the Celtics). If you needed any more reason to roll your eyes at ABC/ESPN’s wearisome halftime analysis about the Celtics’ shot selection, Monday’s game hammered home that they don’t actually shoot too many 3-pointers, despite the near-constant refrain from TV analysts.
The Celtics didn’t get a big scoring game from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — they scored 25 and 19 points respectively and shot 13-for-32 from the floor, 1-for-11 from behind the arc.
The Celtics allowed Anthony Davis to post a monstrous 40-point, 13-rebound, four-assist gem on 15-for-26 shooting.
And still, the Celtics won by double-digits and were too busy horsing around to avoid a turnover on what should have been the final possession of the game.
The Celtics already had the attention of anyone who consistently watches the NBA. For anyone who just started watching at Christmas, welcome. This year’s team looks like the real deal.
2. No Celtics player dominated individually, but Kristaps Porzingis led all Celtics scorers with 28 points and once again looked like the completely new dynamic the Celtics have so badly needed. The Lakers have the kind of mobile big man who can actually do something about Porzingis in Davis, but Davis is much more valuable defensively when he can hang around the paint. If he does that, Porzingis can hit threes. If the Lakers switch someone else onto Porzingis, he can just punish the smaller defender.
Meanwhile, 22 of Porzingis’ 28 points came after the first quarter, which meant the bulk of his scoring came when the Celtics cooled off after building an 18-point lead with a torrid start.
3. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday were both excellent as well. White made his All-Star case to a national audience, pouring in 18 points to go with 11 assists, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Holiday notched 18 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
The thing about playing with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (if you are the rest of the starting lineup) is the defense simply can’t pay you as much attention as you deserve. The thing about playing with Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis (if you are Tatum or Brown) is, if the defense sells out to make you shoot 13-for-32 from the floor, you still have a real chance to win.
4. Tatum, incidentally, was excellent even without a good shooting night; in addition to his 25 points, he grabbed eight rebounds and dished out seven assists, and more importantly, he accepted the way the Lakers were playing and made the right plays accordingly. The Lakers clearly did not want to get beaten by Tatum (he has given them a ton of points before), but he has learned how to beat teams without being the center of attention, which finalizes his transformation into the easiest superstar imaginable to play with.
5. The Celtics weathered a scary moment in the first half when LeBron James crashed into Jaylen Brown, and the two sprawled on the floor briefly — Brown holding his back and James holding his knee. James went to the bench but returned later in the period. Brown came back after halftime.
6. The Lakers had some tough challenge luck in the first half, followed by a really unnecessary challenge that prompted a funny moment.
The first challenge was a pretty obvious overturn: Rui Hachimura was whistled for a foul against Jaylen Brown in transition that he objectively did not commit. The Lakers wisely challenged and won, which cost the Celtics two free throws.
The second one, however, was a challenge completely instigated by James. Tatum went up for a dunk in transition, but he started to fumble it and James blocked it away. James immediately came away calling for a challenge, and Lakers coach Darvin Ham quickly acquiesced.
Even in a best-case scenario for the Lakers, the Celtics would have gotten the ball since James blocked it out of bounds (and the Lakers would have been out of challenges). The Lakers did win the challenge, but the replay showed Taurean Prince hit Tatum’s arm initially to knock the ball loose. The Celtics got two free throws, and the Lakers were without a challenge for the entire second half.
That led to Scott Foster inadvertently giving fans at Staples Center false hope and being loudly booed when they realized that winning the challenge didn’t actually amount to much of a victory.
7. The Celtics accomplished an odd feat: They scored four and-ones that didn’t actually amount to an and-one, because they missed the free throw. Porzingis, whose ability to hit awkward floaters and hooks through contact is a real asset, was the culprit three times.
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea is one of the Lakers’ highest-profile fans (which is saying something, of course), had a take on the Christmas Day game that Celtics fans will probably enjoy.
9. Doc Rivers was entertaining on the ABC broadcast and — appropriately, since he was covering a Celtics-Lakers game — told an enlightening story about the 2008 team. Per Rivers, the 2008 Celtics were toughened in part by their bench, which steadfastly refused to accept that it was a less talented group than the starters (which, of course, included three first-ballot Hall of Famers).
The most ornery? James Posey, since, as Rivers noted, “he was the only person on that team who had won a title.”
10. Entering Monday’s game, the Celtics were tied for the league’s best record, and they had the toughest strength of schedule so far. The Bucks and Sixers, who were second and third in the Eastern Conference, were 30th and 28th respectively.
The Celtics followed up an impressive 5-0 home stand with an also-impressive 3-1 road trip. Their only loss featured Tatum hobbling around the floor and players bricking 3-pointers at a historic pace. They followed that with three double-digit wins over Western Conference playoff opponents.
Next up: Two days off before they take on the Pistons and Raptors on Thursday and Friday.
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