After dropping back-to-back games for the first time this season, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers were determined not to make it three straight. Though things got dicey in the final minute, they were able to do just that.
Davis led the way with 27 points and 14 rebounds and the Lakers survived a late Boston Celtics run to hang on for a 96-95 road win over their longtime rival. The game was back-and-forth all night and the Lakers rebounded from an awful third quarter to dominate the fourth defensively.
They seemingly had things in control until Boston fought back down the stretch. A Dennis Schroder and-one put the Lakers up seven with 1:40 remaining, but Kemba Walker hit a pair of free throws and Jayson Tatum knocked down two tough shots to get the game within one.
Davis had a chance to give the Lakers some room to breathe, but was stripped by Walker as he went up for the shot. Boston tried to push ahead but Alex Caruso hustled back to not allow a layup and Walker ultimately missed a short jumper and Daniel Theis’ putback attempt rolled off the rim as time expired.
The win improved the Lakers’ record to 15-6 and they are now 4-2 on their current road trip.
LeBron James finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, but also struggled with five turnovers including one with just 39.4 seconds remaining. The Lakers bench provided a huge boost as Montrezl Harrell scored 16 points to go along with five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Kyle Kuzma added 11 points and six rebounds.
The Lakers got back to their defensive ways in this contest as they didn’t allow 30 points in any quarter, and 25 or fewer in three. The best by far was the fourth as they held Boston to just 17 points to recover from a seven-point deficit to start the quarter.
The Lakers also held the Celtics to just 28.6% shooting from deep, forced 15 turnovers and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds led by Davis’ six.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 58 points for Boston, but the Lakers were able to contain the rest of the Celtics who combined for just 37 points on 33% shooting on the night.
Next up for Lakers
The Lakers finish up their road trip on Monday night against the high-powered Atlanta Hawks before finally returning home for a Western Conference Finals rematch with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
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