Boston (AP) – Jayson Tatum collected 40 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and the Boston Celtics held a late rally to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-101 on Saturday evening.
With LeBron James in the locker room with a tense groin, the Lakers reduced a 20 -point deficit and fourth quarter to a figure. But Tatum and Jaylen Brown have scored the last 12 Boston points to preserve the victory. Brown added 31 points while the Celtics won their fourth consecutive victory.
Tatum & Brown Lift Boston on Lakers
JT: 40 pts, 12 reb, 8 AST, 6 15h, 2 stl
JB: 31 pts, 6 reb, 3 3h, 3 stl@Celtics Improve 10-2 in their last 12 and sit down 2nd in the East! ☘️ pic.twitter.com/t9xeai4vhd– NBA (@nba) March 9, 2025
James finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists before leaving the middle of the fourth quarter while the Lakers had his sequence of victories of eight Los Angeles matches.
James came out in a dead time with 6:44 to play after disputed a lay-up by Jaylen Brown. He headed carefully to the group during a period that followed, then barely moved before heading to the locker room with coaches. He finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
“Not much concern,” said James. “Obviously, I’m daily. I’m going to watch it every day and see if it’s better, and I take the appropriate measures to see what I have to do to go ahead.”
Luka Doncic collected 34 points and eight rebounds in his first match in Boston since he and the Dallas Mavericks lost match 5 of the NBA final while Boston won his 18th championship.
Things collapsed for the Lakers in a third quarter in which they showed very little attack in attack. This is clearly something that sometimes still lacks with the addition of Donic.
For Boston, Jrue Holiday returned after missing four consecutive games with Mallet Finger in his little Pinkie. But the center of Kristaps Porzingis sat for the fifth consecutive match with an illness.
