Celtics-Lakers takeaways: C’s starting five dominates in Christmas Day win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Three Key Storylines
- Kristaps Porzingis shines in return to lineup
- Jaylen Brown shakes off back injury
- C’s starting five > Lakers’ starting five
The Boston Celtics closed out their West Coast road trip with a convincing Christmas Day victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
They wasted little time taking it to their archrival, jumping out to a 12-0 start and going up by as many as 18 points in the first quarter. That lead didn’t last long, however, as L.A. responded with a strong second quarter and cut the deficit to one at the half.
Third quarters have been an issue for the C’s at points this season, but not on Monday. This time, they dropped 41 points in the frame to reclaim the lead and didn’t look back as they went on to win, 126-115.
All five Celtics starters scored in double figures. Kristaps Porzingis (28 points) and Jayson Tatum (25 points) topped the list.
Anthony Davis was one of the few bright spots for L.A. offensively. The eight-time All-Star dropped 40 points while shooting 15-of-26 from the field.
The Celtics will return home to take on the Detroit Pistons — who have lost 26 consecutive games — on Thursday night. First, here are three takeaways from Monday’s matchup.
Kristaps Porzingis shines in return
The Celtics played it safe with Porzingis during the trip out west. The Latvian big man missed the games vs. the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers due to minor injuries.
In the two games Porzingis took the court, he appeared unbothered by his ailments. He followed a standout performance in Sacramento with a spectacular showing in L.A.
Porzingis got off to a fast start with 11 points, six rebounds, and a block in the first half. The 3-pointers weren’t falling, but he found other ways to assert his dominance against the Lakers.
Porzingis stayed hot in the second half, getting it done on both ends of the floor. He finished with team-highs in points (28 on 11-of-19 shooting) and rebounds (11) while logging two blocks and a steal.
Jaylen Brown shakes off early injury
Fans of both teams were given a scare in the second quarter when Jaylen Brown and LeBron James collided. Brown went down with a back injury while James went down holding his knee.
James went to the bench but returned to the court minutes later. Brown, on the other hand, exited to the locker room and was considered questionable to return with a lower back contusion.
Fortunately, Celtics fans were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief when Brown returned to the game in the third quarter.