But the Celtics willingly and methodically disposed of the roster that was placed in front of them, roaring to a 29-point first-half lead before cruising to a 126-105 win, their third in a row.
Jaylen Brown had 39 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists to lead the Celtics, who buried Los Angeles with another flammable shooting night. Boston made 46 of 86 shots and 24 of 45 3-pointers (53.3 percent). Jordan Walsh hit 6 of 7 shots and scored 17 points, making him 18 for 19 from the field over the last three games.
Get Starting Point
Austin Reaves had 36 points to lead Los Angeles. Surprisingly, some of the night’s loudest cheers were reserved for James’s son, Bronny, the second-year guard. There were scattered chants of “We want Bronny” during the second half. He checked in midway through the fourth and the crowd erupted when he had a one-handed dunk and a 3-pointer. The lopsided score might have made it easier.
The Lakers sliced a 29-point deficit to 14 after three quarters. But the Celtics started the fourth with a 9-0 burst that included three 3-pointers, and the lead was never in danger.
These teams both played on the road Thursday, but the Celtics roared to a breezy win over the Wizards and were able to rest their stars down the stretch. The Lakers had a tense battle against the Raptors, with the starters pushed until the end of the victory.
Reaves did the most against Toronto, pouring in 44 points in 41 minutes. But the guard was 2 for 7 from the field in the first half Friday, with four turnovers. Whenever he probed for space in the paint, the Celtics sent multiple defenders his way.
And with Reaves struggling and Doncic and James sidelined, the Lakers never really had a chance.
Walsh erupted for 22 points on 8-for-8 shooting in Boston’s win over the Wizards, and his surge continued in the first half Friday.
Derrick White was able to elude the long arm of the Lakers’ Rui Hachimura during this drive in the first half. Barry Chin/Globe Staff
He grabbed a rebound on Lakers’ first possession and then calmly hit a 3-pointer at the other end. Later in the quarter, he converted a tough three-point play inside, had a nice assist to Neemias Queta for a layup, and swatted a Reaves 3-point attempt from behind.
Walsh’s ascension since joining the starting lineup has been the most encouraging development of the season thus far for Boston.
Derrick White started 3 for 4 from the 3-point line, and his pull-up from the top of the key with 6:18 left gave Boston a 19-7 lead. Its advantage did not dip below double digits again. Boston was 13 for 25 from beyond the arc in the opening half, with seven players connecting.
Brown was not among them, and he spent most of the opening quarter acting as a distributor. He passed up a few challenging shots in the paint to find teammates closer to the rim, but he scored 7 points in the final three minutes of the quarter — all inside the arc — helping the Celtics extend their lead to 39-17.
In many cases, such an early onslaught would truly ignite a Garden crowd. But this one was mostly met with polite applause, with the fans seemingly aware of the night’s talent discrepancy.
The Celtics’ shooting cooled slightly in the second quarter, but the big lead left room for that. A 3-pointer by Sam Hauser with 10:06 left stretched the advantage to 49-21 and provided another example of Boston’s balance. Nearly midway through the quarter, no Celtic had attempted more than five shots.
Boston led at halftime, 69-46. There is always the danger of a letdown with a lead that big. The Celtics appeared to shut the door on that possibility when Brown connected on three 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the third.
But then Boston’s defense let up — with five Celtics turnovers adding extra stress — and Reaves found a second wind following his slow start. He poured in 16 points in the period and the Lakers shot 63.2 percent from the field, helping them slice what once was a 29-point deficit to a manageable 97-82 by the start of the fourth.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.
