Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Lakers: Boston's Character Comes Through in an Epic Battle Between Rivals

The Celtics' near-collapse vs. the Lakers tested their character and led to Boston and LA penning another memorable chapter in the NBA's most storied rivalry.

Bobby Krivitsky

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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Tuesday night at Crypto.Com Arena, formerly and still more commonly referred to as Staples Center, the Celtics and Lakers penned another memorable chapter in the NBA's most storied rivalry.

When Boston built a 20-point lead in the third quarter, with the hosts not showing much fight, Los Angeles looked like a team ready for the visitors to hit them with the knockout blow.

Instead, the Celtics lost focus, committing one turnover after another, fueling an 11-3 run that gave the Lakers and the home crowd life. That burst extended into the final frame, spiraling into a 25-4 run by LA.

It looked like the hosts were about to hand their rivals a devastating loss to end the latter's road trip, which would've made for a miserable flight home.

Instead, recognizing a 13-point deficit with 4:25 on the clock doesn't have to end with the Celtics feeling sorry for themselves and suffering their first three-game losing streak of the season, Boston regained its composure.

The Celtics staged a 17-4 run, rallying to force overtime as Jayson Tatum buried a turnaround fadeaway jumper over LeBron James, tying the game at 110 with 17.1 seconds left in regulation.

And while Russell Westbrook scored the first four points of overtime, Boston responded with a haymaker, producing the following 12 points as part of a 26-8 run dating back to the fourth quarter.

And when Jaylen Brown stepped into a three from above the break that gave the visitors a 122-114 with 53.1 seconds left, it represented the knockout blow.

Now, a deep dive into the Celtics' 122-118 win over the Lakers.

Celtics' Energy and Activity Much Better to Start Monday's Game Than Tuesday's

Monday, the Celtics' gas tank was on empty, as reflected by their lack of on and off-ball activity, taking even more threes than usual despite consistently coming up short, both signs of tired legs.

But what a difference a day makes. Whether it was the product of a good night's sleep, saving themselves for an iconic rivalry game, the motivation to snap out of their recent funk, or elements of all or at least some of those, Boston started Tuesday's tilt with far more energy.

That included Jaylen Brown cutting to the rim and Jayson Tatum throwing a dart to him for a layup on the visitors' second possession.

Shortly after that, the Celtics went on an 8-0 run in a minute, courtesy of a pair of threes by Derrick White and a bucket at the basket by Blake Griffin. Tatum then swished a three, extending Boston's burst to 11-0, giving the guests an early 15-5 advantage.

The Celtics had their hands full with Anthony Davis, who had success against Boston's strategy of putting White on him and sending help, a move designed to pre-switch pick-and-rolls and keep a depleted front-court out of foul trouble. Davis finished the first frame with 13 points, outpacing everyone.

But that was one of the few bright spots for the Lakers in the opening 12 minutes. Outside of that and Austin Reaves' infusion of energy, there wasn't much going for the purple and gold.

Their Eastern Conference rival entered the second quarter with a 37-24 lead. As stated earlier, it was primarily the product of playing with more energy than in Monday's loss to the Clippers.

Boston's ball movement and players not staying stationary when they didn't have the rock allowed the visitors to avoid stagnation, consistently creating clean looks on in-rhythm shots.

Statistically, it translated to 11 assists on 14 field goals and shooting 53.8 percent from the floor, including 7/11 (63.6 percent) from beyond the arc.

Frequent stops, including converting four Los Angeles turnovers into ten points, also allowed them to maintain an up-tempo pace and produce 12 points in the paint.

Tatum led the Celtics with nine points after the first frame, also dishing out four assists. White registered eight points on 3/3 shooting, going 2/2 from long range.

Lakers Throw the First Punch, But Boston Strikes Back, Taking 15-Point Lead Into Halftime

The second quarter initially belonged to the hosts. The Lakers went on a 7-0 run that grew into a 13-5 stretch as LeBron James repeatedly powered his way to the rim. That cut their deficit to 52-45 with 6:18 left in the first half.

But after a smorgasbord of turnovers, good shots that didn't go down, and an ill-advised corner three from Blake Griffin, Boston immediately countered LA's run with an 8-0 burst.

It started with improved play at the defensive end, stringing together stops, allowing them to get back to playing with pace and get to the rim, exemplified by a pair of layups by Brown.

That helped the Celtics enter the break with a 65-50 advantage.

Boston assisted on 18 of its 25 field goals, tied for its second-most in a first half this season. It's at the root of the visitors knocking down 10/23 (43.5 percent) of their threes.

Tatum led all scorers after 24 minutes, registering 24 points and pairing it with four assists and four rebounds. Brown scored 11 and grabbed seven boards. White entered the break with ten points. The Celtics also got productive minutes from Luke Kornet, who had six offensive rebounds in the first half, leading to six points for the visitors.

After scoring 13 points in the first frame, Davis registered only four in the second. He also corralled seven rebounds. James put 11 points, five assists, and four boards on the stat sheet.

Boston's Missed Opportunity in the Third Quarter

The Celtics built a 20-point lead in the third quarter and went ahead 84-65 on a Marcus Smart three with 5:40 left in the period. The Lakers looked like a team that couldn't keep up, and there wasn't much fight in them.

But that's when Boston lost focus, repeatedly committing careless turnovers, while deviating from the beautiful ball movement and activity away from it that had them in a position to enter the final 12 minutes in firm control.

Instead, LA went on an 11-3 LA run that woke them and the home crowd up. That burst, fueled by six Celtics turnovers as the Lakers locked in defensively, narrowed the gap to 88-82 going into the fourth quarter, with momentum on Los Angeles' side.

Celtics Rescue Themselves from What Would've Been a Devastating End to Their Road Trip

The Celtics blew their golden opportunity; the Lakers did not, or so it seemed.

Los Angeles expanded its dominant stretch, outscoring Boston 22-4, dating back to the third quarter. And when a Griffin missed layup turned into Russell Westbrook pushing the pace and earning a trip to the foul line, his two free throws gave the Lakers an 89-88 advantage, their first lead since 5-4 in the first quarter.

As the Celtics' turnover-filled drought continued, a lack of activity, paint touches, and poise led to them scoring only four points in 8:30. They went scoreless for 6:12.

With 4:25 remaining, James cashed in on a free throw on the heels of Westbrook converting a Brown turnover into a transition jam, giving Los Angeles a 106-93 lead.

Joe Mazzulla could've justified pulling Boston's starters and having them stew in a loss where they reverted to who they were in the first half of last season.

Instead, the Celtics regained their composure and found their rhythm as LA went cold on offense. Boston drilled three shots from beyond the arc as part of a 17-4 crunch-time run, capped by Tatum going at James and knocking down a turnaround fadeaway jumper, tying the game at 110 and forcing overtime.

Celtics Earn a Gutsy Win in an Overtime That Never Should've Happened

Westbrook delivered the first punch in the fifth frame, scoring four points to Boston's none.

But again, the Celtics struck back, as Smart splashed a floater through the net, then drove and found Grant Williams, who drilled an open three from the left corner, giving the visitors a 115-114 lead.

And when Tatum took advantage of a screen that forced Reaves to switch onto him, creating separation before burying a mid-range jumper, Boston extended its advantage to 119-114, going on a 26-8 run dating back to regulation.

Then Brown delivered the dagger, stepping into a three from above the break that put the visitors ahead 122-114 with 53.1 seconds left.

One can't ignore the collapse preceding it. But the Celtics not packing it in, fighting to force overtime, then delivering a haymaker after going down four is a welcomed sight, especially after how their last two games went.

Their 122-118 win halts a two-game losing streak and allows them to finish 4-2 on a grueling road trip.

Jayson Tatum registered 44 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the victory. Jaylen Brown provided 25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

Marcus Smart scored 18 points, dished out six assists, grabbed five boards, and swiped two steals.

Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 37 points and 12 rebounds. LeBron James finished with 33, nine boards, and nine assists. Los Angeles also got 20 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks off the bench from Russell Westbrook.

The Lakers scored 68 points in the paint, 26 on fast-break opportunities, and 23 on the heels of 14 Boston turnovers. But the Celtics generated 25 off 12 LA giveaways, turned 13 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points, took 11 more shots than the hosts and drilled 11 more threes, helping them head home with a win.

Up Next

The Celtics return home to host the Magic on Friday. The game tips off at 7:30 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

The Top 5 Plays from Monday's Celtics-Clippers Game

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Clippers: Kawhi Leonard and Paul George Were Up for the Challenge, a Fatigued Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Were Not

[Film Room] What's at the Root of Jayson Tatum's Struggles vs. Warriors on Saturday?

NBA Officially Names Sixth Man of the Year Trophy in Honor of Celtics Icon

Former Celtics Fan-Favorite Reportedly Available via Trade, Should Boston Make Move?

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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