The Boston Celtics fell to the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers 114-105 at home Thursday night, just the third loss of the year at TD Garden for the Celts. From start to finish, Boston looked sluggish on offense while LA shot lights out.
The Lakers were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, both of whom missed the game thanks to injury. Los Angeles didn’t miss a beat, however. The visiting team put on an offensive clinic, especially from behind the 3-point line. On the other side of the action, Boston never found its footing enough to keep pace. The starters in particular looked out of sorts.
Let’s take a closer look at a 114-105 Celtics defeat at the hands of the Lakers.
Celtics Lab 238: A deep dive into the deep rotation's Stay Ready Crew with Noa Dalzell https://t.co/XbEpQAMZAe pic.twitter.com/x7ruuRTjzL
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 30, 2024
Boston offense
Some familiar challenges limited Boston’s offense. As a team, the Celtics had 15 turnovers. In the first half especially, this made it hard to establish any sort of rhythm.
To make matters worse, Boston was ice cold shooting the ball. In total they went 41-for-97 from the field, including 16-for-48 on 3-pointers. Many of these were open looks that didn’t fall, but the Celtics also only shot 7 free throws on the night. The guys in green could have forced the issue a bit more.
The bench showed signs of life. Sam Hauser contributed 17 points, giving a much-needed boost to Boston’s scoring. Payton Pritchard provided effort and grit that was otherwise lacking from his teammates. He was a +13 on the evening, the highest mark for the team.
Jaylen Brown named to 2024 Eastern Conference All-Star Team https://t.co/Z9EZXg9tCn pic.twitter.com/pw0xHvNREu
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) February 2, 2024
Boston's defense
While the Celtics was and stayed cold, the Lakers wee red-hot shooting the ball. A 19-for-36 showing from deep helped LA build and maintain a big lead. Whenever Boston threatened to make things close, Los Angeles countered with a big basket.
Austin Reaves was particularly effective for the Lakers. He ended the game with 32 points, while D’Angelo Russell contributed 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 14 assists. Los Angeles fared just fine without the club’s two biggest stars in the line-up.
It wasn’t an awful showing on defense for Boston. For example, Kristaps Porzingis alone had 5 blocks, though a few good individual showings were far from enough to stop Los Angeles when it mattered.
Why the Celtics should add another rotation player ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline https://t.co/CXmotyqNI4 pic.twitter.com/AgAvlIwLRf
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) February 1, 2024
Looking ahead
This was the 300th time the Celtics have faced the Lakers in the regular season. With the result, Boston drops to 166-134 all-time against their rival.
Sunday figures to be another exciting game. The Celtics will host Marcus Smart and the Memphis Grizzlies, Smart’s first trip back to the Hub since being traded this past summer. And although the former fan-favorite is injury, it should be an emotional and energetic homecoming.
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) February 1, 2024
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