BSJ Game Report: Celtics 122, Lakers 118 (OT) - Celtics collapse, but Lakers collapse even worse

Everything you need to know about the Celtics overtime win against the LA Lakers with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics came out pretty strong, piling up points by attacking the basket, and then watching Jayson Tatum go off to help give the Celtics a comfortable lead. In fact, everything was looking pretty great when the Celtics finally took a 20 point lead in the third quarter. Then, the Celtics relaxed, turned the ball over a ton, and not only let the Lakers back into the game, they took a 13-point lead with 4:25 to go. Boston staged a furious late comeback after that, tied the game, and ran away with it in overtime. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

Roller Coaster: The Celtics went from looking great to looking as bad as they’ve looked in years, to finding a way to salvage a win. This was some real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde stuff from this team. They went from up 20 to down 13 to tied at the end of regulaton to down 4 to a 12-0 OT run. No wonder Marcus Smart got sick during the game (that's why he left the floor for a brief period)

Tatum loves L.A.: 44 points on 52% shooting, 50% from deep, and 9-10 from the line. He loves playing against the Lakers and never seems to miss an opportunity to put on a show there. 

Lakers ran out of gas: There was a point in the broadcast where they reported that Lakers coach Darvin Ham asked LeBron James and Anthony Davis if they wanted to come out and they said no. The Lakers took a lead, but then they gave it all back and then some. The strategy might have been enough to take a big enough lead to get to overtime, but then OT was the Russell Westbrook show and that played right into what the Celtics wanted. Davis played the entire second half and OT. James played the whole fourth and OT. 

TURNING POINT

Grant Williams hit a 3-pointer with 3:40 left to cut the lead to 10, starting a 17-4 Celtics run to close the fourth quarter. Marcus Smart followed that with a steal of the inbounds pass and a layup, giving Boston five points in two seconds. The capper was Davis missing two free throws, up two, with 28.2 seconds left. Tatum’s subsequent jumper tied the game and sent it to OT. 

TWO UP

Jayson Tatum: He started strong and then cooled off a bit, but he attacked LeBron James for key baskets late, including his game-tying fadeaway jumper. His 44 points are the second-most against the Lakers in team history, short of Ed Macauley’s 46 which came in 19 freakin’ 53 when there were nine teams in the league, the Lakers were in Minneapolis, and the Hawks were in Milwaukee. 

Jaylen Brown: 25 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals is a hell of a night for Brown. He had a long stretch where he carried the team, hitting what’s become a signature fadeaway in the middle of the lane. He and Tatum had 4 turnovers each, which obviously isn’t good, but Brown led the Celtics with 5 points and 4 rebounds in the OT.

THREE DOWN

Blake Griffin: I have a ton of respect for the effort, but it’s clear he’s only good in spots. 3-11 in this game and 0-5 from 3 is both not good enough and not something I can criticize him for because he should never have to be in a position to take 5 3-pointers in a non-garbage time situation.

Malcolm Brogdon: A really rough night for him. He couldn't hit anything, and even though he tied Smart with 6 assists to tie for the team lead, he was also a team-worst -12. 

Marcus Smart: He bounced back with a strong finish late in the fourth quarter and overtime, so he figured it out. He also had a good stretch in the middle of the game, but he started poorly and almost shot the team out of a chance to win this game in the fourth. 

TOP PLAYS

ONE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- These guys are exhausted

They went up 20, wiped their hands, and said “job well done, fellas” and relaxed. They basically punched out and expected the Lakers to do the same. 

The Lakers didn’t, taking advantage of a Celtics team ready to pack it in and head home, only to fall apart themselves. Really, this game came down to dueling disasters, and the Celtics were less of one in the end. 

After the game, Tatum said “damn I’m tired” before his walk-off interview. Brown told Abby Chin “I’m ready to go home,” and then later said “I’m just ready to get the f--- outta here” when asked about a celebration he didn’t remember making. 

They're beat. They're toast. And they came out of this road trip 4-2. It’s a result any reasonable fan would have signed up for before they left. They come home still holding the league’s best record, and with new, valuable lessons to build on.

Brace yourselves now for Friday night’s game against Orlando. That could be a rough one, as most first nights back home after a long trip are. Maybe the Celtics can get a boost from the return of Al Horford. Maybe Robert Williams will come back. Or maybe the C’s can take the lessons about grinding out wins any way they can and start a new streak. 

Next up: Celtics host the Magic for a baseball series (Friday and Sunday). Friday tip is 7:30