BOSTON — The Boston Celtics delivered a pulse-pounding win in overtime Saturday night by topping the rival Los Angeles Lakers, 125-121, at TD Garden on Saturday.
The win snaps a three-game losing streak for the Celtics and improves their NBA-best record to 36-15 while the Lakers fell to 23-27
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
It was far from the best performance of the season for the Celtics. But they showed they can tough it out, show no quit and pick up a gritty win. It also helped that they picked up a little luck at the end of regulation, too.
It sure wasn’t easy for the Celtics to get to the finish line on top, but they matched all of the Lakers’ responses with answers of their own. And Boston also got some clutch play from Jaylen Brown, Malcolm Brogdon and Al Horford.
Lakers superstar LeBron James gave the Celtics everything they could handle and then some. James was incredulous after he was clearly fouled by Jayson Tatum on a layup attempt as time expired in regulation but the referees missed the call.
Maybe the ghost of Red Auerbach prevented the officials from seeing it as the game became another wild chapter in the rivalry between these two storied franchises.
And in the end, the Celtics prevailed, and a win always feels sweeter when it comes against your archrival.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Brown battled foul trouble for the majority of the game, but got a little redemption after shrinking in the moment against the Knicks by coming up clutch in the fourth quarter and overtime. Brown tallied a team-high 37 points on 13-for-23 shooting to go along with nine rebounds.
— James, as he usually does, led the way for the Lakers with 41 points on 15-for-30 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and eight assists.
— Brogdon is as steady as they come off the bench. He delivered 26 of Boston’s 28 bench points while also contributing six rebounds and four assists.
WAGER WATCH
DraftKings Sportsbook set Derrick White’s over/under for points at 11.5 and with -125 odds on the Over. The guard sure made Over bettor happy as he netted an efficient 14 points. A $100 wager on the Over would have resulted in a payday of $180.
UP NEXT
The Celtics have another heavyweight matchup on deck as they welcome in Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Tipoff from TD Garden is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
