BOSTON — The TD Backyard crowd held its collective breath as Derrick White’s three-point shot with 9:55 remaining bounced straight into the air. The ball hovered close to shot-clock peak, bounced contained in the rim and rolled via the online as Celtics followers let loose considered one of their loudest cheers of the evening.
The basket that gave the Celtics a 21-point lead in an eventual 126-105 rout in opposition to a shorthanded Lakers squad enjoying with out Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
Austin Reaves tried to hold the Lakers with 36 factors and eight of the staff’s 15 assists, however he additionally had 4 turnovers. Gabe Vincent, beginning for a second consecutive evening with Doncic out, had a season-high 18 factors, together with 4 three-pointers.
Doncic didn’t play as a result of he and his fiancee predict their second baby. Coach JJ Redick stated he anticipated the celebrity guard to return “soon,” including that Doncic may play in Sunday’s recreation at Philadelphia.
James, who sat out on the second evening of a back-to-back with proper sciatica and left-foot joint arthritis, may additionally return to assist the Lakers (16-6) end their three-game Jap Convention journey.
Coming into Friday, Reaves averaged 41 factors and 10 assists over the 4 earlier video games Doncic missed. Reaves had 44 factors and 10 assists in opposition to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday because the Lakers improved to 4-1 with out Doncic.
However with Marcus Sensible (proper lumbar muscle pressure) additionally out in opposition to the Celtics, Reaves and the Lakers couldn’t maintain tempo.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 30 factors as Boston (14-9) had six gamers rating in double figures.
Boston has gained six of its final seven video games to hold powerful within the Jap Convention regardless of enjoying with out Jayson Tatum. The Celtics have been additionally enjoying their second recreation in as many nights, blowing out Washington on the highway Thursday. Early Friday, each groups seemed precisely like they have been ending tough back-to-backs.
Lakers middle Deandre Ayton missed a few of his signature mid-range soar photographs that he had been changing at a career-high clip. Boston middle Neemias Queta had a brief hook shot roll all the way in which across the rim and trickle out.
However the Celtics stabilized rapidly behind Brown and White, who every had 9 factors within the first quarter, whereas no Lakers participant made multiple shot within the first quarter. The Lakers trailed by 22 factors after the primary quarter and 23 by the point Redick emptied his bench with 6:38 remaining within the recreation.
With a lot of the star energy sapped from the sport early, Celtics followers barely mustered a standard “Beat L.A.” chant within the fourth quarter. As a substitute, the loudest arena-wide chant got here in assist of a Lakers participant.
With two minutes remaining within the third quarter, with the Celtics main by 22, the sector got here alive with chants of “We want Bronny.”
Bronny James had 5 factors in seven minutes of mop up responsibility.
