Celtics-Lakers lives up to the hype with stellar performances from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown
The Celtics and Lakers each went on major second-half runs, but Boston came out on top in the highly anticipated matchup.
Saturday night’s highly anticipated Celtics versus Lakers matchup did not disappoint.
In what could have been an NBA Finals preview, Boston came out on top 111-101 to snap Los Angeles’ eight-game winning streak. 71 combined points from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown made the victory possible in what was an incredibly entertaining contest.
The first half was nothing short of an exciting display of basketball between two uber-talented teams. Tatum and Brown notched 38 points total to give the Celtics a 58-54 advantage through two frames. LeBron James nearly recorded a triple-double through the first two quarters alone (14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists) and Luka Doncic notched 11 points of his own.
Both teams were playing chippy and battling on defense in the first half. The stars epically showed up and reminded fans that these historic teams are very good at the same time.
Tatum even ended the second quarter with a violent slam dunk to give Boston a four-point lead at the break.
The second half was a bit of a different story compared to the first. The Celtics went on a 15-0 run in the third quarter to take a massive 77-56 lead, seemingly burying the Lakers, who began to look tired. Doncic, among others, started looking weak on defense while Los Angeles’ bench was nowhere to be found (its bench finished with 17 total points).
In somewhat predictable fashion, though, James and the Lakers caught a second wind in the fourth quarter. They went on a 16-2 run to cut Boston’s lead to less than 10 points to make the Celtics sweat. Boston’s defense began to show fatigue, too.
But, a groin injury sidelined James in the frame and kept him out for the remainder of the game. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the star could be out for “weeks” due to the ailment he sustained on Saturday.
Ultimately, the Celtics staved off LA, and both Tatum and Brown finished with terrific lines — 40 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, and 31-6-2, respectively. Tatum, who played 45 minutes, finished 12-for-28 (6-for-16 from three-point range) from the field, with Brown ending the night 13-for-25 (3-for-6 3PT).
Head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke about the pair’s big night and how important their performances were in such a big game.
“I feel like there’s moments that you give those guys chances to be able to be a part of [the Celtics-Lakers rivalry],” he said. “Everybody on this roster is playing for a legacy. And you do it together, and I felt like tonight was a great moment for them to be able to compete at high level for as long as they wanted to.”
The pair was a menace defensively, too. Tatum logged two blocks and one steal, with three steals from Brown, as well.
Al Horford had himself a night, too, recording a 14-9-4 line, also accompanied by exceptional defense, highlighted by three steals and one block on the stat sheet.
Mazzulla raved about Horford’s defensive performance postgame.
“I got to watch five possessions of him defend at a higher level. And at one point, I wasn’t coaching, I was just watching him,” Mazzulla told reporters. “I was like, ‘Man, this guy’s a future Hall of Famer. I get to watch this for free.’”
The win helped Boston improve to 46-18 on the season, while the Lakers fell to 40-22 and face the possibility of being without James for a significant period of time down the stretch.
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