5 lessons from the 96-95 defeat of the Celtics to the Lakers

The Boston Celtics lost a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, dropping 96-95 after a wild ending. Pending the results of an MRI reported on Sunday, they hope they haven’t missed something, or someone, much more impactful.

Five conclusions from Saturday’s game.

The final seconds were chaos.

With time running out in the fourth quarter, the Celtics forced the Lakers’ turnover to lag behind just one. Chaos ensued as the Celtics fumbled with the ball until it finally found its way into Kemba Walker’s hands.

Walker had a tough game (more on that in a minute), but he had an open mid-range jump with a chance to win the game and redeem himself completely. But Walker’s shot fell off the edge and the Lakers took the victory wildly.

Jaylen Brown had a third supernatural quarter.

For a long period spanning the second and third quarters, Jaylen Brown did not miss a shot – burying nine in a row. As has been happening throughout the year, Brown has taken a variety of photos, including direction layups, medium-range jumpers and a triple of pace. Perhaps the most impressive part of Brown’s rise this season has been his complete package of goals, and the Lakers – who lack much lateral defense – have been able to do almost nothing to stop him.

The same happened with Jayson Tatum. Brad Stevens played with Brown and Tatum throughout the third quarter, with a brief break for Tatum. The result? A 12-2 run ended the period that increased the Celtics’ lead to 78-71.

Kemba Walker fought hard.

On paper, Walker would be a perfect complement for Brown and Tatum against the Lakers – a quick and excellent defense against pick-and-roll, which can punish the greats and capitalize on the attention given to Boston’s star wings.

But Walker fought badly on the field, finishing with four points in shots from 1 to 12. Several of his looks were clean and in rhythm, which made the homesickness even more shocking. He wasn’t really defeating the Lakers in the jump, and the sneaky layups he usually does on the glass against great defenders were not fooling anyone.

The Celtics, which received good games from Brown and Tatum, could have used a boost from Walker, especially after Smart fell (more on that in a minute). Walker was certainly not alone in his fights – only Theis and Robert Williams hit double digits in addition to Brown and Tatum. But Walker’s offense was lacking at a bad time.

Semi Ojeleye was a key part of the second quarter recovery.

The Celtics were faltering at the start of the second quarter and looked like they might be on the verge of being left behind by an uncomfortable amount when Montrezl Harrell cashed on a mid-range jumper that put the Lakers in 10.

Then Brad Stevens – who received a lot of criticism from Celtics fans for his lineups this season – went with an intriguing group against the Lakers: Tristan Thompson (for the size against Harrell), Tatum, Brown, Semi Ojeleye and Marcus Smart. This group – with three large wings for exchange purposes – helped the Celtics come back and tie the game before the Lakers went up three at halftime.

Instrumental to the success of this unit: Ojeleye, who was able to slow LeBron James and Anthony Davis when he returned to the court. Ojeleye impressed on the offensive side this season, but on Saturday, he impressed in more traditional ways – using his size and mobility in defense.

The main story of the Celtics: What happened to Marcus Smart?

At the start of the fourth period, Smart seemed to take a bad step under the Lakers’ basket and fell to the floor, shouting a bad word. The Celtics immediately called for a timeout and coaches rushed to help Smart off the court. Supported by two coaches, Smart hobbled to the locker room, without putting any weight on his left leg.

The Celtics called Smart’s injury a “calf strain”. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Smart will have an MRI scan on Sunday.

The replay didn’t look good.

Here’s the clip of Smart’s injury – looked to grab the calf area. pic.twitter.com/u549yMrq37

– Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) January 31, 2021

The Celtics cannot lose its main defender. Sunday’s results can be huge.