Michael Dwyer / Associated Press
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 96-95 on Saturday at TD Garden in Boston.
Anthony Davis, who returned to the court after losing a game with a sore hip, scored 27 points and 14 rebounds. LeBron James had 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum (30 points) and Jaylen Brown (28 points) led.
The Lakers led 96-89 with 1:40 left, but the C’s scored six consecutive points to reduce the deficit to one. Kemba Walker blocked Davis’s shot with 10 seconds left and cornered the ball, giving the C’s a chance to win the game.
However, Walker’s medium-range jumper missed his target, and Daniel Theis’s hit missed and time was up.
The Lakers 15-6 broke a streak of two consecutive defeats. The 10-8 Celtics lost its second straight.
Notable performances
Lakers G / F LeBron James: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists
Lakers F Anthony Davis: 27 points, 14 rebounds
Lakers PF / C Montrezl Harrell: 16 points, 5 rebounds
Celtics F Jayson Tatum: 30 points, 9 rebounds
Celtics G Jaylen Brown: 28 points
Celtics C Daniel Theis: 14 points, 7 rebounds
AD dominates after 1 away game
Davis was not guaranteed to fit in Saturday’s game, as he was listed as questionable with a right hip bruise on NBAofficial injury report at 5:30 pm Eastern Time.
Coach Frank Vogel told reporters the Lakers weren’t even sure that Davis would play while the big man warmed up before the game. It was therefore a playing time decision.
Ultimately, AD took a chance, and the Lakers are certainly happy that he did, as the great man catapulted LA into a major victory on the road.
Davis showed his versatility in this, notably hitting a three-point corner when the kick clock expired in the first quarter:
AD ended the first half with 18 points and 10 rebounds, symbolizing the team’s mastery of painting in the first half, as noted by Lakers reporter Mike Trudell:
Davis slowed in the second half, although he still had nine points and four hits in the last two quarters. Still, his performance in the first half gave the Lakers the cushion they needed to hold the Celtics, and AD was able to take revenge on a team that crushed LA a year ago:
The Lakers were also able to avoid a possible losing streak of three games in the process, leading the team to a game behind the Utah Jazz for the first at the Western Conference.
Brown, Tatum, sensational in defeat
Brown and Tatum did everything they could for the Celtics on a tough night in Boston that saw Marcus Smart leave the game with a distension in the left calf in the fourth quarter.
Losing Smart hurt in the final stretch, and cold kicks from most of Brown and Tatum’s other teammates ended Boston’s chances as well.
But Brown and Tatum almost took the team to victory, partly because they were phenomenal on the offensive side.
Cooly Tatum took a step back three to get things going:
Later, he slid down the track for two:
Brown resisted some contact and put a sturdy bucket for himself later:
This proved to be a theme for Brown tonight:
Tatum had a great second half. With all due respect to Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic center, this could be the New Year so far:
He also dropped this float on the AD:
Ultimately, it wasn’t meant to be for the C’s, but the future is still bright in Boston with Tatum and Brown co-running the show.
What is the next?
The Celtics will visit the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at 10 pm Eastern Time at the Chase Center in San Francisco. LA will go to Atlanta to play against the Hawks on Monday at 7:30 pm at the State Farm Arena.