LOS ANGELES — The Celtics blew out the Lakers 111-89 on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. It was all C’s in the second half as they improved to 37-19, winning eight of their last nine games. The Lakers dropped to 34-22 with the loss.
Both teams were at full strength for Sunday’s game, letting the stars show out on the nationally-televised stage. It was a back-and-forth game throughout most of the first half, but the Celtics pulled away for a 10-point lead by halftime.
It was all C’s in the third quarter, keeping the Lakers at an arm’s length away. Every time Los Angeles tried to put together a run to cut into its deficit, Boston had an answer. The Celtics never let the Lakers take the lead in the second half to secure the blowout win.
Jaylen Brown had 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the way. Payton Pritchard added 30 points and eight assists. Luka Doncic had 25 points for the Lakers while LeBron James finished with 20 points and five assists.
The Celtics face a shorthanded Suns team next at 9 p.m. Tuesday in Phoenix. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Los Angeles:
Off the bench: Pritchard is back to his old role as a reserve guard with the Celtics needing a ball-handler off the bench. He was excellent Sunday, shooting 10-for-14 from the field and 6-for-9 on 3-pointers. As a bonus, he hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer right before the half. Pritchard came into the game averaging 22.5 points over his last six games, which is when he went back to his reserve role. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year hasn’t cared if he’s a starter or not as long as he’s playing a starter’s allotment of playing time. After 38 minutes Sunday, that continues to be the case as Pritchard is a crucial part of the team.
Path to 40-20: The Celtics, despite missing Jayson Tatum, could hit the 40-20 mark in the next few games. Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson dubbed the term, where he claims a title contender wins 40 games in the regular season before dropping 20. It’s become a popular benchmark in the NBA, and the Celtics are now just three wins away from it. Historical trends show that teams that hit the 40-20 mark have won the vast majority of titles, so that’s something to monitor over the next few games.
Center rotation: As expected, after acquiring Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline, the C’s have adjusted their rotation. Luka Garza, while he’s had his bright moments this season, has slotted in as the team’s third center. The Celtics have rolled with starter Neemias Queta with Vucevic coming off the bench. Vucevic is still acclimating to his new team, but it’s clear he gives a seasoned scoring punch when he is in the game. The big man finished with nine points in 21 minutes Sunday.
Old friend: The Celtics have played against Marcus Smart in past seasons since he was traded from Boston. But this was the first time Smart played against the C’s in a Lakers jersey because he missed the first game back in Boston in December. Smart struggled from the field shooting 0-for-7, including 0-for-5 on 3-pointers, finishing with zero points and four assists. Smart was reflective pregame talking about the Celtics, praising his old teammates in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
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