At the top of the three-point arc, Rui Hachimura pushed Jayson Tatum in the chest, sending the Lakers wing tumbling to the floor. After a mediocre first half that enraged a crowd already furious with LeBron James and Anthony Davis skipping a headline game on the Lakers side, the Celtics pounced on top of him with the score 77-71. It was a brief burst of enthusiasm during a new low point for Boston.

The only healthy Celtic, Luke Kornet (hamstring), didn’t play a significant role in the first half, which was defined by eleven careless turnovers.

“Score a victory. Personally, I see it that way. “Our guys are available,” Joe Mazzulla stated before the game.

AD

After falling behind 14-0 at the end of the first half due to a 5-0 run by Los Angeles, Mazzulla decided to bench some of his available players, including Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jaylen Brown, three minutes into the second half of the second half. Even though he delayed using the timeout until later in the match, D’Angelo Russell and Taurean Prince were able to promptly end the third session with uncontested transition run-outs. Surprising Boston, 114-105, the Lakers kept their double-digit lead for the most part.

Along with Russell, Austin Reaves spearheaded Los Angeles’ оffensive effort, scoring 11 points in the first quarter while making three of the team’s five three-point attempts. Los Angeles, a club known for its poor shooting, had an unusually strong first half, going 13 for 25 (52%). In January, Boston was very disciplined about not giving the ball away. The Lakers’ early shot quality was powered by nine turnovers in the first quarter. However, those same turnovers in the Pelicans’ and Pacers’ victories hinted of another torrent on Thursday. In what was arguably their worst performances of the season, Porzingis and Brown both committed a turnover three times in that first frame. They ended up with six out of Boston’s fifteen, with Holiday contributing four more.

In the middle of the third, Tatum had a shooting slump but still managed to make two threes, a layup, and a pass to Sam Hauser, reducing the Lakers’ 14-point lead to six points. This came on top of his tussle with Hachimura for the ball. However, Los Angeles never cooled off, and the Celtics’ six missed shots in the paint allowed the Lakers go on a fast break that they would eventually outscore 21-17. As the fourth quarter began, the Celtics were only able to trim the margin to four points, much to the dismay of the crowd.

After the Celtics’ thirteenth turnover—which came from Porzingis—was converted into a Hachimura three as the Lakers continued to use their inside-outside game, the Lakers only allowed Boston three free throw attempts midway through the fourth quarter. The Bruins had trouble keeping up offensively and matched poorly on the break. Brown appeared to break his free throw shooting slump with a missed shot, but Darvin Ham challenged and converted a foul call by Hachimura into another missed shot by Brown. On the same night that the NBA announced him as an all-star reserve, he made his third appearance and finished with a 4-for-12 record (0-3 3PT). The Lakers maintained a 10-point lead.

In the midst of yet another sluggish Boston rotation, Reaves Һit 30 points on a pull-up jumper seconds later, and Russell dished out 14 assists, including one to Hachimura, who scored three. The calls went against Boston once again, causing Russell and Holiday to jolt. Reaves made another basket at the free throw line to increase the Celtics’ lead to 26-7, and the second time he missed, the ball sailed out of bounds. After the Lakers scored on three of their last four possessions, Mazzulla decided enough was enough and emptied his bench with 2 minutes and one second left, trailing by thirteen points.