In the absence of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, both injured, the Celtics started the game like a team that had won the game before playing it and they were punished! The Lakers started the match with playoff intensity, with 10 offensive rebounds in the first quarter and 9 caused loose balls (28-17)!
Jayson Tatum (23 points, 7 rebounds) wakes up his partners to put Boston back in front (32-31), but the Lakers respond with a scathing 10-0 (41-32). Thanks to the activity of Jarred Vanderbilt (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals in 16 minutes), who unfortunately left his teammates due to injury just before halftime, and an 8/12 3-pointer in the second quarter , Los Angeles returns to the locker room with a 14-point lead (60-46).
From the great D'Angelo Russell
Austin Reaves (32 points), the man of the first half, scored his sixth winning shot to start the second and another offensive rebound followed by a dunk from Jaxon Hayes (16 points, 10 rebounds) forced Joe Mazzulla to open your bench to find a solution (70-54). It takes four straight 3-pointers from Sam Hauser (17 points), Payton Pritchard, and Jayson Tatum to see Boston return to the match (77-71).
While Reaves loses his hot hand, it's D'Angelo Russell (16 points, 14 assists) who takes over. A true conductor of the Lakers, he found several Rui Hachimura (15 points) to keep the gap above ten points. Despite the awakening of Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics will never make up for their bad start. The Lakers will therefore look for an unexpected and important victory to return to balance: 25 victories – 25 defeats.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Austin Reaves Show. Without LeBron James or Anthony Davis, Reaves was the Lakers' number one option and he arrived on the Celtics floor ready to draw. Boston's defensive armada was never able to slow him down. Reaves scored 19 of his 32 points in the first half, thanks to 5/7 3-pointers. He will finish the match at 7/10 to reach the 30 point mark for the third time in his career. We understand better why the Lakers do not want to include him in any transfer.
– D'Angelo Russell and Jaxon Hayes show up. Skillful for several weeks, Russell took on the role of distributor leader this evening. He dissected Boston's defense, finishing with a season-high 14 assists. The main beneficiary of this caviar festival was Jaxon Hayes. The young pivot showed ferocity throughout the game, finishing with a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds). This is the first time this season that he has exceeded the ten unit mark in each of these statistical categories.
– The grimace soup for the Celtics. The first minutes of the match said a lot about the state of mind of the Celtics. They let the Lakers dominate the offensive rebound and made a series of blunders, losing nine balls in the first quarter. After the meeting, Joe Mazzulla made no excuses for his players and he did the same during the game by inserting Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard very early in his rotation to try to create an electric shock. Jaylen Brown (8 points, 4/12 on shots) and Jrue Holiday (9 points, 4 lost balls) were particularly off base.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
