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A 15-0 scoring surge in the third quarter broke open a close game as the men in green ran up a lead of 22 points. The Lakers rallied to get as close as four points in the fourth quarter before the Celtics closed out the 10-point victory.
Jason Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford played major starring roles in this highly publicized matchup. Tatum, who had 40 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists; Brown, who had 31 points, six rebounds and three steals; and Horford, who had 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists, led a balanced scoring attack, but the major story of this game was the defensive effort turned in by the home team.
Horford, playing 37 minutes due to the absence of an injured Krystaps Porzingis, helped lock down the inside, allowing Brown, Tatum, and guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White to keep pressure on the Lakers perimeter shooters throughout the contest.
Despite playing with a strained back, Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 34 points. Jaylen Brown’s harassing defense from start to finish on number 77 worked, and he got many of his points while the Celtics had double-digit leads throughout the third and fourth quarters.
Forward Al Horford puts the D on Laker Luca Doncic. PHOTO: BRIAN FLUHARTY-IMAGN
Alluding to Doncic’s physical conditioning or lack thereof in his post-game comments, Brown said, “I stay in shape at all times, and this helps me play intense defense on guys like Luka and other top scorers in this league.” His point is solidified by the fact that Doncic, considered a weak defender, has not been in great physical shape throughout his career in Dallas and now with the Lakers. If we add to this fact that Doncic has missed so much game action since December, while he was with the Mavericks, and has played just 11 games since his trade to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Brown’s assessment is a sound one.
But the biggest news from this Lakers’ setback is the immediate loss of team superstar LeBron James, who suffered a strained groin, forcing him to sit out much of the final quarter of action. There are reports that James’ injury could sideline him for as much as two weeks, a severe blow to the Lakers, who are battling to stay in the upper echelon of the NBA Western Conference standings.
Going into their game with the Celtics, the Lakers held down the number two spot in the West. With the departure of All-Star Anthony Davis, who is currently on the injured list with an abdomen strain, to Dallas, and with the loss of Rui Hachimura and the sporadic play of Jackson Hayes, the Lakers are thin along their front line. If LeBron James cannot play for longer than two weeks, the Lakers could drop in the tightly contested Western Conference.
The Celtics, on their current four-game win streak, are holding down the number two position in the NBA Eastern Conference standings, eight games behind the front-running Cleveland Cavaliers due to the heroic play of Tatum and Brown — one of the top scoring tandems in the NBA. Most pro basketball pundits think the Celtics should be considered strong favorites to repeat as NBA champions. Their thinking is that no other NBA team can beat this Boston squad four times in a best-of-seven playoff series.
Horford and Tatum double-team James. PHOTO: CELTICS/NBA
The thinking along this line is that the health factor, just like it is with every other NBA title contender, could prove to be the deciding element in this equation. Critics of the Celtics clearly point out that the defending champs had a less difficult path to title number 18 due to the fact that key injuries to their playoff opponents contributed to their success.
The counterargument is that the 2023-24 NBA champion Boston Celtics beat every opponent they faced on their road to NBA title number 18, and they reached their goal despite the loss of Krystaps Porzingis for much of the playoff run.
The questions around the possibility of a repeat-title run will center on the health of Porzingis and point guard Jrue Holiday. Holiday’s injured shoulder, which may require surgery this coming off-season, is critical to his on-court play. Holiday and Derrick White form the best defensive backcourt combination in the NBA. History has proven that you don’t win NBA championships without great guard play.
Also, consider that Jaylen Brown matches up defensively with both guards and forwards, as witnessed by his defensive play at both positions. Viewers can see that a run for title number 19 will depend on the team’s overall health, particularly that of Holiday, White, and Brown — the principal perimeter defenders for the Celtics.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla credited his team’s defense for its tenacity in this win against the Lakers. “We played a good game and weathered the Lakers runs to gain this victory,” he said. “This team knows the goal that lies ahead of them. This win against this Lakers team is a barometer of our play.”
The history of this hallowed rivalry goes back to the 1960s in the days of Celtics greats Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones and John Havlicek against Laker legends Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain — all basketball Hall of Famers.
The Celtics defeated the Lakers eight times in NBA Finals competition during the Russell era before the Lakers of Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson and James Worthy broke through in the 1984-85 NBA Finals. That team would beat the Celtics again in the 1987 NBA Finals.
The 2008 Celtics, consisting of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, beat the Kobe Bryant Lakers for NBA title number 17 before Bryant returned the favor in 2010.
The two teams are 1-1 this season, and fans from both camps hope for another chapter in this storied rivalry in this year’s NBA Finals. The Lakers have many questions about getting there, while Celtics fans expect to be there.
The road to NBA title number 19 will likely go through the Cleveland Cavaliers, recent winners of their last 14 straight games by scoring 110 points, the record of the 1986 Boston Celtics, who won the NBA title. This Cavaliers team has registered three winning streaks of 12 games this season and is hungry to dethrone the current defending champion Celtics. Stay tuned this week because the Green play the Jazz, the Thunder and the Heat this week.
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