On Monday, as part of the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule, the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 126–115. In spite of Celtics standout Jayson Tatum’s outstanding performance (25 points), his late-game antics might have irritated Derrick White.
As time ran out, Tatum handed the ball to White. Tatum did all in his ability to not touch the ball and add another turnover to his stat line as the point guard tried to pass the ball back.
After White’s pass slid by Tatum, who ducked to avoid the ball, it eventually found Lakers player Austin Reaves.
Tatum, who seemed to be more concerned with his own statistics than with the team’s outcome—a turnover—would have occurred had he caught the ball and allowed the shot clock to expire—White’s expression betrayed his confusion and frustration.
White appeared confused by Tatum’s choice after Reaves took possession of the ball.
It would have been absolutely preventable if Tatum had simply caught the pass and taken the team turnover; instead, White committed his second turnover of the game due to Tatum’s evasive manoeuvring.
Porzingis, Celtics start strong in Christmas Day win over Davis and Lakers
The Boston Celtics won their first meeting against the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day, 126-115, thanks to 28 points and 11 rebounds from Kristaps Porzingis and 25 points from Jayson Tatum.
Both Derrick White (18 points) and Jaylen Brown (19 points) contributed to the team’s success. The Celtics, who have won 12 of their last 14 games and three in a row, were led by an 18-point performance from each of their five starters.
The Lakers have lost six of eight games since winning the first-ever In-Season Tournament, despite a 40-point performance from Anthony Davis and 13 boards and 16 points from LeBron James.
After falling behind for the first time in the game early in the third quarter due to a dunk by Jarred Vanderbilt, Boston scored seven consecutive points to take the lead back. The Celtics went into the fourth quarter ahead nine points, thanks in large part to Porzingis’s 13 points.
Despite Davis scoring 40 points in a regular season game for the 40th time, Boston was able to hold Los Angeles at arm’s length in the fourth quarter.
With a 12-point run that Brown finished with a 3-pointer, the Celtics cruised past the Lakers’ starting lineup and built an 18-point lead in the first quarter.
With the help of some blistering shooting from Taurean Prince, Los Angeles surged back into the game in the second. He made all four of his field goal attempts, including three 3-pointers, for 11 points, bringing the halftime lead down to 58-57.
With 4 minutes and two seconds remaining in the second, a collision involving Brown and James sent shivers down the spines of both teams. As Brown attempted to get back to the ball, he stumbled and ducked, which allowed James to knee him in the back. After Brown returned to the locker room, the other players were attended to on the court, and the third quarter began as scheduled.
This was the third Christmas Day meeting between the league’s two most legendary teams. Both the 1951 Boston Celtics and the 2008 Los Angeles Lakers were crowned champions in their respective cities.