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BOSTON — Jayson Tatum took a Rui Hachimura bump to the chest atop the three-point arc that despatched the Lakers wing to the ground. Tatum dove on high of him with the Celtics trailing, 77-71, after a lackluster first half effort that additional incensed a crowd already offended with LeBron James and Anthony Davis lacking a marquee recreation on the Lakers aspect. It grew to become a fleeting second of vitality in a brand new low for Boston.
The Celtics arrived totally wholesome except for Luke Kornet (hamstring), however largely didn’t present up in a primary half highlighted by 11 sloppy turnovers.
“Win the sport. That’s how I have a look at it. Our guys can be found,” Joe Mazzulla stated pre-game.
By the second half, down 14 factors after a 5-0 LA flurry to shut the second, Mazzulla resorted to pulling a few of these obtainable gamers, specifically Kristaps Porzingis, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Vacation, three minutes into the third. He held a timeout till later, however used one shortly to start the fourth when a constructive 4-0 begin to the ultimate body shortly unraveled into two uncontested transition run-outs from Taurean Prince and D’Angelo Russell. The Lakers largely maintained their double-digit benefit and shocked Boston, 114-105.
Austin Reaves took over LA’s offensive burden alongside Russell, scoring 11 factors within the first quarter and dropping three of the Lakers’ 5 threes. The capturing surge, 13-for-25 (52%), within the first half got here as a rarity for an LA crew that sometimes struggles to shoot. Boston didn’t give away the ball usually in January, 9 first quarter turnovers powering the Lakers’ early shot high quality, however well timed ones within the wins over the Pelicans and Pacers foreshadowed Thursday’s flood. Porzingis and Brown gave away the ball thrice every in that opening body to mark their worst performances of the season. They completed with six of Boston’s 15, Vacation including 4 extra.
Alongside Tatum’s tussle for the ball with Hachimura, his pair of threes, a layup and a feed to Sam Hauser as a part of a bench capturing burst halfway by way of the third efficiently lower the Lakers’ 14-point result in six with some hope that capturing regression would flip the consequence. LA by no means cooled down although, and 6 misses by the Celtics within the paint helped get the Lakers out on the run in a recreation the place they outscored Boston 21-17 on the quick break. Coming into the fourth, the Celtics lower solely 4 factors off the result in the loud disapproval of followers.
The Lakers solely gave Boston three free throw makes an attempt halfway by way of the fourth after the Celtics’ thirteenth turnover, courtesy of Porzingis, became a Hachimura three as LA saved working the ball inside and outside. Boston struggled to match up on the break and on offense continued to make dangerous rim reads, one by Brown seemingly breaking the free throw capturing hunch earlier than Darvin Ham efficiently challenged and turned Hachimura’s foul on the rim into one other Brown miss. He completed 4-for-12 (0-3 3PT) on the evening the NBA introduced him as an all-star reserve, his third look. The Lakers stayed forward by 10.
Reaves reached 30 factors with a pull-up jumper moments later whereas Russell hit 14 assists with a feed to Hachimura for 3 behind one other gradual Boston rotation. Russell and Vacation jarred because the calls went in opposition to Boston once more, Reaves tossing in one other bucket on the free throw line to construct a 26-7 benefit there and the Celtics dropped his second miss out-of-bounds. The Lakers scored on three of the following 4 possessions and Mazzulla noticed sufficient, emptying his bench down by 13 factors with 2:01 remaining.
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