This time, the Celtics and Lakers were rightly seen as a must-see matchup, and that’s exactly what they did on the West Coast.
The Celtics came away with over 140 consecutive points during their four-game road trip. They had responded to a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors to begin the road trip and had the perfect opportunity to give Boston a coveted Christmas present — which they did, outscoring the Lakers 126-115 and winning. a third consecutive game.Here are four ways Boston and Los Angeles lived up to the holiday hype:
1) Boston’s starting lineup showed why it’s world-classWith Kristaps Porzingis back and healthy, the Celtics had their entire starting lineup ready to go, and that only showcased the great offseason work of president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.Porzingis, returning from a one-game absence with an ankle injury, scored a team-leading 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field with 11 rebounds and two blocks. This, unlike most options #1. 4 in the NBA, gives the Celtics a luxury edge in providing flexibility on both ends of the court, creating a matchup problem for any opponent. Things get even tougher when five more Celtics – Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard – score in double figures.Boston failed to reach the 140-point threshold for the third time in a row, but this is not an essential element for the team’s success. The Celtics took advantage of on-court matchups and utilized a high degree of ball movement, recording their third straight 30-plus assist performance for the first time since the 2018-19 season.“When we play the right way and with rhythm, it’s very difficult to defend,” Tatum said, according to ESPN’s postgame coverage. “We just do the right readings, dive into the material and find open people. We can all shoot and play, so it’s easy to play with these guys.Boston’s starting lineup scored 108 of the team’s 126 total points.2) LeBron James showed fifth-grade athleticism in 21st gradeNo matter the holiday, team or season, King James is King James. Very few athletes can maintain the standard that James has maintained throughout his decade-long career, and as the Celtics know, that has yet to change. It has made James’ ongoing rivalry with Boston one of the hottest storylines in the NBA, from Cleveland to Miami and back to Cleveland, and now to Los Angeles with the Lakers, the Celtics’ latest rival. Fouled by Tauren Price on a shot with 1:32 left in the first half, James reached Jayson Tatum on a fast break. Boston’s 25-year-old star led the open lane and James, at 38, was right behind him and caught Tatum for a noteworthy chase block that was completely missed.James had, as always, a tough defensive assignment, battling Neemias Queta for drives to the basket, finding teammates for quality fodder and keeping Los Angeles within striking distance. 3) Lakers comeback bid in the second quarterIt wouldn’t be a classic Celtics-Lakers game if there weren’t at least a few nerve-wracking moments, right?The Celtics built a lead of as much as 18 points, but were unable to hold it.At first, scoring was a breeze for Boston. There wasn’t an ounce of defensive urgency from the Lakers and the Celtics showed it by taking a 30-12 lead with 3:57 minutes left in the first quarter. The Celtics had made the right choices to find the highest quality shot attempts and exploit the multiple holes in Los Angeles’ defense, but the moment that approach was abandoned, the Lakers gained unintended momentum. What seemed like a third straight trot to the finish line, with Tatum and Brown able to sit on the court next to Jack Nicholson with their feet up, turned into a competition. Unwilling to fold so easily, the Lakers outscored Boston 34-26 in the second quarter and gave the Celtics a 58-57 lead heading into the third quarter — and it’s all too easy to see the problem: an unhealthy hunger for shots exteriors where they are not needed. Boston took 11 shots and made just three in the second quarter, scoring just 10 points from the field. Granted, the first quarter wasn’t any prettier – they shot 3 of 12 from outside – but the Celtics did their dirty work and fought inside.This problem is not new, but it has once again added another exciting factor that could have easily been avoided. In other words: a victory for fans and viewers. 4) Payton Pritchard caught fire – and caught the Lakers sleepingThere weren’t many benches, but the majority came from Payton Pritchard.In the second quarter, with the Lakers effectively catching up, Pritchard gave the Celtics 10 points by shooting 4 of 5 from the field throughout the frame. And on one of Pritchard’s two baskets inside, the undersized guard caught Lakers star LeBron James sleeping on a defensive assignment, giving Pritchard an open and easy route to the basket. Pritchard will always have his moments, but there is extra joy for the Celtics when those moments come in big matchups. Christmas Day was just the perfect time considering Pritchard’s performance throughout the road trip.The 25-year-old averaged 12.5 points while shooting 50% from the field and 33.3% from distance while playing over 21 minutes per game.The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are the greatest rivals of all time and every game, every season, is among the most memorable on their respective schedules, especially on Christmas Day.These implications will still impact every organization, even if not every meeting lives up to the always-appreciated Boston-LA hype. But that wasn’t the case this holiday season.
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