The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics meet for the 286th time in the regular season on Friday, in a matchup between the rebuilding young core and current No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Los Angeles enters the first weekend of March with a 19-42 record, while the Celtics currently own a 39-22 record.
Entering Friday, Luke Walton and the Lakers were victims of five consecutive losses, attempting to get their first victory with Magic Johnson and the new ear of Lakers management. The historic connection between these two franchises stems back many decades, as one of the premiere rivalries in sports.
The Lakers donned their throwback jerseys Friday night, with their usual starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Nick Young, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle and Tarik Black. Brad Stevens and the Celtics countered with Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson and Al Horford.
First Quarter:
The Lakers offense got started on the right foot, as Russell knocked down a fade away jumper dribbling to his left. After back-to-back stops, Nick Young buried a three-pointer on the wing to give the Lakers an early 5-0 lead.
Although Thomas is quite the offensive weapon for the Celtics, he is a liability on defense. Walton attempted to attack him early on in the post, as Russell worked from down low. Even when he opted to switch on Ingram on pick-and-rolls, the ball skipped from Ingram to Russell for a corner three.
The Celtics then responded with a 14-5 run of their own, before Walton called a timeout to make some early adjustments. Stevens’ team hit four early threes, all from different players. Russell was attempting to take advantage of size mismatch, as his 6’4″ frame worked from the post.
While working from the sideline, he turned around for a fade away jumper. The following possession he used a pick and fed Black for an open dunk. The Celtics then decided to switch Bradley onto the second-year guard. However, Russell was already dealing, as he pulled up for his fourth bucket of the game.
The point guard matchup was as good as advertised, as the second leading scorer in the NBA came to play. His three quick buckets gave him nine points on the night, as his team was able to open up an early 28-20 lead.
The Lakers were able to bounce back with the play of their bench mob, as their entrance brought a quicker pace on the court. On a fast break, the Lakers used three quick-touch passes to set up Ivica Zubac for a slam dunk.
At the end of the first quarter, the Celtics held a 35-26 lead. Both teams shot 11-23 from the field, but the Celtics were able to capitalize on more free throws and three-pointers.
Second Quarter:
Walton elected to start the second quarter with five bench players, as Tyler Ennis, Jordan Clarkson, Corey Brewer, Larry Nance Jr. and Zubac took the court. Ennis was able to use a few picks to score a layup in the paint, while Zubac scored the next possession on a reverse layup to cut the lead to 41-32.
While there were many defensive breakdowns for the young team, they were playing with effort on the court. The team was attacking the basket and the boards, with their heads up for their open teammates.
The Celtics didn’t give up a turnover in the first quarter, while their hustle opportunities lead to many fast break points. Kelly Olynyk leaked out and used a pump-fake for a three-point play, while Jaylen Brown had a few two-handed slams off the dribble.
A few easy buckets in the paint extended their lead to 54-39, as the Celtics were having their way on the offensive end. A cold streak stopped the offense for the Lakers until Randle hit a jump shot and earned some free throws. Using his agility and strength, he had an advantage to the basket, but he shot 3-for-7 up to the four-minute mark in the first half.
The referees were letting the players play physically, with some chippyness on the court. Young was unpleased with a non-call and received a technical foul. The following play, Bradley scored on a backdoor dunk, giving them a 19-point lead.
Walton was clearly frustrated with the defensive execution, with many inexcusable breakdowns that led to easy baskets. A 25-foot three-pointer from Young brought them to 42 points on the night, his second three of the contest.
The Celtics didn’t seem content with the lead they already had, pushing it to 20 points with a minute in the quarter. Although Russell had the hot start, he suffered from a few flashy passes, which resulted in turnovers.
Although the offense wasn’t finishing off some of their easy baskets, their defense was continually sub-par. The effort wasn’t there, falling asleep against one of the best teams in the Eastern conference. With the rivalry environment set, the fans weren’t pleased with the results, as they trailed 75-40 going into halftime.
The Celtics put together two 35-point quarters, led by Thomas, Crowder, and Johnson, who each had double-digit points. Although Randle, Young and Russell each had nine points for the Lakers, they went 4-for-14 from three-point range and had nine turnovers at halftime.
Third Quarter:
The Celtics used the free throw line to increase their lead in the first half, with the Lakers committing plenty of fouls. Starting off the second half, it didn’t seem as if much had changed. The Celtics started the quarter on a 10-4 run after a Bradley fast break layup caused a series of boos and a timeout from Walton.
The young core was having an underwhelming game, while their defense wasn’t lead to many offensive opportunities. Ingram was also having a quiet night, with four fouls and zero points before being taken out due to foul trouble.
The offense was having trouble putting points on the board, while their demeanor was affecting their defensive performance. Crowder scored another fast-break layup to give him 20 for the night, as the open layups had the crowd silent.
Russell used a scoop layup while driving hard to the right for their second basket of the half. The Lakers attempted to make the most out of the situation by leaving the young core in, but Walton’s team clearly didn’t come ready for tonight.
The Lakers were able to outscore the Celtics over the next few minutes, bringing it down to a 91-67 lead. David Nwaba and Nance Jr. were inserted as a desperate ploy for some energy on the floor.
While Boston already had 90+ points in the third quarter, their pace did not slow down. As the Lakers inched back with each basket, the Celtics attempted to respond with execution and quick decisions. A 15-2 run brought the lead down to 18, thanks to the aggressive play from Clarkson.
A pair of driving layups and a three-pointer gave him 18 for the quarter, after being held scoreless in the first half. Upon being fouled on the final possession of the quarter, his two free throws brought his team within 15, as the Celtics took a 93-78 lead into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter:
The Lakers were able to capitalize off some hustle to start the fourth thanks in part to Nwaba. He used his body to take the contact against Olynyk on a drive, finishing the layup. He then blocked a shot and was able to corral the rebound.
He then stole the ball when Zubac was also to cause a loose ball, finishing a euro-step lay up over Marcus Smart. The Lakers were able to bring their lead down to 13 points, but Stevens then elected to put his starters back in.
The Celtics then responded with two quick buckets for a 99-82 lead, as the Celtics capitalized on the size mismatch between Smart and Ennis. The starters for the Celtics certainly came with a certain poise and focus on the court, as they weren’t going to let the Lakers creep back into the game.
While on a backdoor cut, Black met Brown at the rim and swatted his shot. However, Brown answered on the very next play with an alley oop, twisting layup for the three-point play.
The fourth quarter took a much slower pace than the first three-quarters, as the Celtics winded down the shot clock with each possession. When it was all said and done, the Lakers lost by a score of 115-95, in one of the worst losses this season.
All the Lakers saw the court, except Timofey Mozgov and Thomas Robinson. Luol Deng was inactive for Friday’s contest, as Walton was able to work with different units.
Thomas finished the game with 18 points and eight assists in only 26 minutes of action, while Crowder added in 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. Clarkson finished the game with 20 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The victory on Friday night concluded the Celtics first sweep of the Lakers in the regular season since the 2007 season.
