BOSTON — The Celtics dominated the Lakers 126-105 on Friday at TD Garden, overwhelming the shorthanded visitors. The C’s won their fourth straight game to improve to 14-9. The Lakers dropped to 16-6 in a crowded West standings.
It was all Boston from tipoff, building a lead that peaked at 29 points in the first half. The Lakers just didn’t have enough offensive firepower while the 3-pointers flowed easily for the C’s. There was a blip of life as Los Angeles cut it to a 15-point game heading into the fourth quarter, putting potential pressure on the home team.
But the Celtics opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run, all but sealing the game. So even though Austin Reaves caught fire in the second half, it wasn’t enough to overcome such a massive deficit. The Lakers were without LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart, meaning Reaves was at the top of the scouting report.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, coming off his one-game absence. Derrick White had 19 points and shot 5-for-10 on his 3-pointers. Reaves finished with 36 points and eight assists for the Lakers. Gabe Vincent added 18 points.
The Celtics next face the Raptors at 3:30 p.m. Sunday in Toronto. It’s the final game before the C’s get some time off due to NBA Cup play. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Los Angeles:
Offense flows: The Celtics followed up a season-high 146 points against the Wizards with another great showing Friday. They shot 24-for-45 (53.3%) on 3-pointers as the makes were plentiful and came from everywhere. Seven different Celtics hit at least two 3-pointers on the night. When Boston is making 3s like that, it’s difficult to beat them. Reaves tried his best to carry the Lakers, but they couldn’t keep up with the C’s.
Going up: The Celtics are one of the hottest teams in the league now as their stock continues to soar. They’ve won nine of their last 11 games and entered Friday’s game with a top-5 net rating in the league. So while the C’s started the season slow, they’ve been one of the best teams in the league in recent weeks. Even when they’re missing guys, the Celtics depth players have stepped up in the meantime. There’s still a lot of season to go, but it’s increasingly clear Boston is a good basketball team.
Starter continues to impress: Jordan Walsh just keeps making the most of his opportunity, even showing flashes of his game that weren’t there before. Walsh has also displayed a bit of playmaking chops in the past few games when the ball is in his hands. He finished with 17 points and four rebounds on 6-for-7 shooting Friday in 26 minutes, though he did pick up four fouls. It’s clear the game has slowed down for the third-year pro as he’s looking more and more like part of Boston’s future.
Scheduling: Celtics vs. Lakers has been one of the best historical rivalries in the NBA, but there wasn’t much anticipation for Friday’s game. Part of that was the Lakers missing their two superstars, along with a former C’s guard in Smart. But another part was the scheduling aspect as both teams played the night before. There wasn’t much lead-up ahead of the game that was nationally broadcast on Amazon Prime. The end result was a lopsided blowout Celtics victory that was never that close Friday.
