BSJ Game Report: Celtics 126, Lakers 115 - Porzingis puts bow on a great road trip

Everything you need to know about the Celtics win over the Lakers with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

Jaylen Brown (as usual) came out hot to pace the Celtics and help build an 18 point lead. Anthony Davis was huge early to fuel a late run and keep the Lakers close. Boston got a quick burst from Payton Pritchard but really got away from their best basketball and the Lakers cut the lead to one at the half. The shots started falling in the third, fueled by 13 by Kristaps Porzingis and 14 trips to the free throw line thanks to bonus free throws. The Celtics got contributions from just about everyone down the stretch to keep the Lakers at bay.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Balanced attack: Porzingis had 28, Jayson Tatum had 25, Brown had 19, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday had 18 each. The best part was the fourth quarter closing stretch where the ball basically found whichever player found himself open. 

- Winning without shooting: Boston shot 31% from 3 (13-42), but was able to still put up 126 points thanks to 33-49 shooting (67.4%) shooting on 2-pointers and 21 free throws. They were 20/25 in the restricted area and 29-40 overall in the paint. 

This was the big difference between this and the Warriors game. Boston sucked from the paint AND from 3 in that one. 

- Successful road trip: They went 3-1 on this road trip, and the loss came in overtime without Porzingis … which is to say that was winnable as well.  

TURNING POINT

Boston was up eight with 8:30 to go. Al Horford hit a 3-pointer that started a six-minute-long sequence where six different Celtics scored to push the lead to 15. 

You better believe I’m going to write about that separately. The Celtics gave me this awesome gift of six minutes of beautiful offense to break down. I’m like a 12-year-old unwrapping a PS5.

THINGS I LIKED

- Another third-quarter win: Bad third quarters were a problem, especially on the road. Before this road trip, Boston’s offensive rating in road third quarters was 94, second-worst in the league. On this four-game road trip, it was 151.5, best in the league. 

They won tonight’s third quarter 41-33, which answered a terrible second quarter in which the Lakers clawed all the way back from an 18 point deficit. I could have included this in the turning point if I wasn’t so giddy about that fourth quarter stretch. 

- Kristaps Porzingis, walking matchup issue: They could have gotten him more than 19 shots in this game. The Lakers really had no answer for him, which is why I wrote in the preview that Boston needed to flow through him in this one. Aside from missing a couple of wide open 3-pointers, Porzingis was wonderful on both ends. 28 points, 11 rebounds to go along with a couple of blocks and many more shots changed. He was the key to this win. 

The Stock Exchange: White and Holiday each took turns making big plays. A combined 36 points, 18 assists, nine rebounds, three steals, and three blocks (a.k.a. six “stocks”). 

Look at how happy Porzingis is to have White and Holiday as teammates.

The man looks like a lottery winner. Oh, and they also have Tatum and Brown. 

- Jayson Tatum doing other things: He didn’t shoot well, but he got to the line 13 times, grabbed eight rebounds and had seven assists. He also set a few screens to spring teammates (as you’ll see later) to make a positive contribution on a tough shooting night (6-15 fg, 1-6 3pt). 

“It’s just not being defined by just scoring, but being defined by playmaking and being defined by how do you create advantages for your teammates and yourself,” Joe Mazzulla said after the game. “I tell him ‘the other team gets paid to stop you, so I don’t know why you think that it’s just going to be that easy for you,’ and he’s really embraced that mindset of, like, tonight, it might threes, the next night it might be free throws, it might be screening to create advantages, it might be transition, it might be offensive rebounds. And so that's the identity he’s creating.”

Mazzulla called it a reinvention. It’s part of his growth, and he’s going to need some time to get comfortable with all of it just like everyone else is getting comfortable with themselves. 

- Jaylen Brown’s start: He got kneed in the back by LeBron and missed a bunch of time. He was okay after that, but it’s pre-knee that he did a lot of damage to give Boston an early lead. He was amazing on both ends. 

- The turnover battle: They forced 12 for 19 points while only committing eight of their own for three points. That 16 point difference is the game. 

- This troll job by Scott Foster: I know Celtics fans generally don’t like the refs, but Scott Foster’s “oh you’re not going to like this” goes down as an All-Time review announcement. 

Side note: This was a dumb challenge. The video clearly shows Taurean Prince fouled Tatum. So even though the foul was on LeBron James, using the challenge in that spot was a waste because Tatum got the free throws anyway. The refs aren't going to foul LeBron out of the game and he knows how to play with fouls. 

Turns out they didn’t need it, but part of me wishes they did and it cost them because that's more fun. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

The second quarter: That was a lot of the old bad habits kind of showing back up like an angry relative no one invited but who showed up to Christmas dinner anyway. They missed some open looks but they also didn’t move the ball very well. The good thing is that it didn’t linger, and that's where good teams separate themselves from bad teams … or at least disappointing teams. Boston has been derailed by that kind of play in the past. They left it in the locker room today. 

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER (and one he feels pretty good about)

- They still aren’t close to the full potential of this team: 

The Celtics starters put up 108 of the 126 points in this game. Payton Pritchard’s 10 points all came in the second quarter. Horford only hit a couple of shots, though they were excellently timed. Sam Hauser has gone cold. 

We still haven't seen this team playing its absolute best, and frankly, they don’t feel close to playing their best yet, either. 

At some point, they’ll put a full four quarters together, with not only the shooting but the ball movement and the defense. When that happens, duck and cover because it could create a new big bang that opens up a new universe. 

That's how highly I view this team’s potential. They may never reach it, for a variety of reasons both in and out of their own control, but if they ever do … and if they maintain it … Watch out. If they can time it for a playoff run, then start claiming your spots on Tremont Street, because no one will touch them. 

- Merry Christmas: I just wanted to take this moment to wish those of you who celebrate a Merry Christmas, and wish those of you who are celebrating differently a happy holiday. I love sharing my passion for basketball with great fans like all of you in a place that gives me this much freedom to craft my own coverage. 

This is kind of like a locker room where we don’t always agree on everything and there's some bickering from time to time, but it’s all coming from a good place. 

Thanks for giving me the daily gift of sharing this journey with you, and hopefully enhancing your enjoyment of basketball and the Celtics. 

Next Up: The Celtics come home for a quick two-game homestand starting with the Pistons Thursday night.