Austin Reaves led all scorers with 32 points as the Lakers didn’t look like a team playing without its two best players. LA led by 14 at the half and by as much as 16 during the second half, handing the Celtics their second home loss of the season.
It was a result that not many saw coming and the Celtics would have been favored even if James and Davis both played. Former Celtics player and current NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins didn’t mince words when he gave his thoughts on Boston’s performance.
“The Celtics should be ashamed of themselves!!! I guess Bron and AD been holding the Ham and the Lakers back lol. Carry the hell on,” Perkins said on X.
Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and Sam Hauser added 17 off the bench for the Celtics, but three Boston starters were held to single-digits. Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday combined for 25 points on 12-of-32 shooting. The trio made one of its 10 3-point attempts.
What went wrong for the Celtics?
The difference in the game can be seen simply by looking at the box score. The Lakers buried over half of their 36 shots from beyond the arc while the Celtics struggled from deep, shooting 33.3 percent. LA also dominated the turnover battle, forcing Boston into 15 turnovers to the visitor’s seven.
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