Thursday night, in opposition to the rival Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers attempted to get back on track after losing consecutive games by blowouts.
It is difficult enough for the Lakers to contend with one of the greatest teams in the NBA, which has only dropped two home games this season, but they did so in the absence of two stars—LeBron James and Anthony Davis—due to injury. Notwithstanding all adversity, the Lakers achieved their highest-scoring performance of the season in the form of a 114-105 triumph.
Jaylen Brown scored six early points to help the Celtics get off to a strong start, but the Lakers also had a strong start. The Lakers have an 11-10 lead following a dunk by Jarred Vanderbilt and a 3-pointer by Austin Reaves.
The Lakers extended their run with five consecutive points following a Celtics timeout, before Jayson Tatum completed the Celtics drought with a triple.
However, Los Angeles maintained their momentum by forcing turnovers and assaulting the offensive glass, thereby increasing their lead to nine. The Celtics’ Sam Hauser closed the quarter with consecutive three-pointers, and Jrue Holiday tied the Lakers at 28-25 with a buzzer-beater.
The Celtics maintained their momentum into the second half, reclaiming the lead. However, the Lakers responded with an 8-0 run, aided by deep passes from Christian Wood and D’Angelo Russell.
The Lakers continued to heap it on despite Tatum eventually escaping from deep, as Reaves and Russell maintained their heat and Max Christie hit a couple. Vanderbilt also contributed to the Lakers’ 60-46 halftime lead by being ubiquitous on both ends of the court.
However, Vanderbilt appeared to sustain a leg injury during a non-contact play in the final seconds of the second quarter. His inability to begin the third quarter resulted in his elimination for the evening; Rui Hachimura started in his stead.
A continuation of the Lakers’ impressive play into the third quarter were Reaves’ two more three-pointers and Jaxson Hayes’ efforts inside.
However, Boston ultimately mounted a 17-7 comeback, reducing their deficit to single digits. Russell contributed to the Lakers’ reestablishment with two excellent dimes. With Christie surpassing the bell, the Lakers entered the fourth quarter up 10 points, 88-78.
In the fourth period, the Celtics opened with four consecutive points scored. However, Hachimura answered with five consecutive points to force another timeout for Boston.
In the ensuing minutes-thirty seconds, the Lakers were merely clinging to survival as the Celtics began to whittle away at the deficit. Despite this, Lakers unsung champions such as Hayes and Hachimura continued to make crucial shots.
Russell then completed the comeback victory for the Lakers with a monumental triple-late basket.
