Colin Cowherd Worried By Celtics’ ‘Inconsistent Fight’ In Defeat

The Boston Celtics did not take care of business against a shorthanded Lakers team on Thursday night, falling to Los Angeles in a 114-105 final at TD Garden.

Without their top two players, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers held control from tipoff and never looked back. Playing at full strength in their lineup, the Celtics could not get in rhythm, despite cutting down the lead in the second half.

The loss marked Boston’s third home defeat in their last five games after a dominant 20-0 start at TD Garden. The recent trend has been concerning in ways to FS1’s Colin Cowherd, who analyzed where the Celtics went wrong.

“It does concern me,” Cowherd said on “The Herd” on Friday. “I’ve said this before. I can’t unsee things. I can’t un-hear certain things in sports.”

Jayson Tatum scored 23 points in the loss, though Cowherd found himself questioning if the Celtics forward should have had a larger impact to spark the offense.

“I know he’s talented,” Cowherd assessed. “Good and productive, but is he confrontational? They had seven free throws last night. How about be aggressive? How about attack the Lakers? … Why is the Lakers JV team getting any look they want defensively?”

After the statement loss at home to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the Lakers delivered another blow to the Celtics. From the wider viewpoint, Boston is still atop the Eastern Conference standings at 37-12. While it may not be time for the panic button, Cowherd believes the Celtics’ struggles should not be glanced over.

“In the biggest spot, I see an inconsistent fight from the Celtics,” Cowherd added. “Sometimes there. Sometimes not. To me, it always come down to who is your star player? I’m not saying you can’t have bad nights. … It’s the NBA season. It happens, but in the last week, the Clippers walk in there and roll them and take the game to them. Last night, with no LeBron and AD, the Lakers got any shot they wanted.”

The Celtics look to bounce back on Sunday evening against the Memphis Grizzlies to continue a seven-game homestand.