This Day In Lakers History: Magic Johnson Makes Buzzer Beater Against Celtics
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird

In the 1980s, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics always brought the best out of each other. Led by Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, the NBA’s greatest rivalry was always on full force.

The Lakers defeated the Celtics in the 1987 NBA Finals, the second time the franchise had beaten Boston in the decade. Their first meeting in the ensuing regular season came Dec. 11, 1987, and it lived up to expectations.

A close game ended with Magic hitting a 20-footer at the buzzer to give the Lakers a 115-114 win in Boston. Johnson finished with 18 points, 17 assists and eight rebounds. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers with 23 points, while Cooper and Byron Scott each scored 21.

The Celtics held a double-digit lead in the third quarter, and even led by six with just a couple minutes remaining, but the Lakers would not go away. Thompson and Abdul-Jabbar quickly cut the deficit down before Cooper hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 43 seconds left.

Thrilling as the game-winning shot was, there was plenty of controversy surrounding the last few seconds. After Danny Ainge missed the second of two free throws, the Lakers’ Mychal Thompson grabbed the rebound.

Michael Cooper immediately called timeout, but at the same time Kevin McHale stripped Thompson of the ball. The Celtics insisted that Thompson did not have control of the ball when the timeout was called, but the referees disagreed and Magic made the most of the moment, via NBA Cobwebs:

Bird had his own all-around performance, finishing with 35 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and five steals. Dennis Johnson had 19 points and Jerry Sichting scored 17 off the bench for the Celtics.

When thinking of Lakers-Celtics much of the focus, rightfully, goes towards the NBA Finals showdowns between the teams, but often times the regular season matchups would have playoff-like atmospheres and intensity.

This was another example of that, and of the greatness of Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

You May Also Like

Lakers News: Frank Vogel Believes Rajon Rondo & Anthony Davis Have ‘Special Chemistry’

One of the on-court duos that propelled the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship in 2020 was Rajon Rondo and Anthony Davis…

USA Basketball: Anthony Davis Expected To Play Against Serbia Despite Illness

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and USA Basketball begin their Olympic run on Sunday morning when they take on Nikola Jokic…

Lakers Video: Darvin Ham Reacts To Ime Udoka & LeBron James Altercation

Whenever LeBron James and Dillon Brooks match up, there are always fireworks and that was the case last Saturday when…

Jeanie Buss: Lakers Don’t Win 2009 & 2010 NBA Championships Without Pau Gasol

One of the most important transactions of the 21st century for the Los Angeles Lakers was the deal that landed them soon-to-be…