During the statue unveiling at Crypto.com Arena, former Lakers coach and NBA icon Pat Riley shared an impactful message, echoing his longstanding rivalry with the Celtics.
“Now it’s time to start doing something,” Riley stated. “To kick Boston—”
Although the sentiment was clear, the Lakers struggled on the court, ultimately falling 111-89 to their age-old rivals.
Throughout the game, the Lakers managed to score 22 points or fewer in each of the last three quarters, including a mere 18 in the fourth. Overall, they shot 39.1 percent from the field, marking one of their worst shooting performances this season.
This was only the second time they were held under 90 points in a game.
Luka Doncic led the team with 25 points, alongside five rebounds and three assists. LeBron James added 20 points, five assists, and four rebounds, while Austin Reeves contributed 15 points and seven rebounds.
Despite these efforts, the core trio seemed unable to spark a successful offensive strategy.
On the other side, Jaylen Brown shone for the Celtics, scoring 32 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out seven assists.
What It Means
The Lakers lost their regular season series to the Celtics for the first time since 2022-23, finishing 0-2.
Previously, the Celtics had bested the Lakers back in December despite the absence of both Doncic and James.
Following this loss, the Lakers’ season record dropped to 34-22.
Turning Point
A crucial moment came at 9:32 in the fourth quarter when Marcus Smart missed a three-pointer.
The Lakers rallied briefly with a 6-2 run, narrowing a 13-point deficit down to nine as James and Rui Hachimura made consecutive close-range buckets. But that momentum quickly dissipated as the Celtics responded with a 6-0 run, extending their lead to a game-high 15 points at 92-77 with just over eight minutes remaining.
After that, the Lakers found themselves trailing by double digits for the rest of the game.
MVP: Peyton Pritchard
Pritchard was pivotal for the Celtics, coming off the bench to score 30 points, along with eight assists and four rebounds.
Game Status: 15.4%
In the first half of the second half, the Lakers managed just 2 of 13 attempts from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, the Celtics were not particularly hot either but made three times as many three-pointers during that same period. The Lakers started strong from three-point range, shooting 46.7% in the first two quarters.
To the Next
The Lakers are set to conclude their extended homestand, which kicked off with a win against the 76ers on February 5, with an upcoming game against the Magic on Tuesday.
Following that, they’ll face the Suns in Phoenix on Thursday and head to San Francisco to take on the Warriors on Saturday.
