Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) shoots as Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) and center Kristaps Porzingis (8) defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Anthony Davis recorded 24 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots to help the Los Angeles Lakers roll to an easy 117-96 victory over the visiting Boston Celtics in the NBA on Thursday night.
Austin Reaves had 23 points and six assists and LeBron James added 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists for Los Angeles, which won for the fourth time in the past five games.
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Dalton Knecht added 13 points, Gabe Vincent had 12 points on four 3-pointers and Rui Hachimura added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Lakers.
Kristaps Porzingis had 22 points and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who have split their past 10 games after beginning the season with 26 wins in 35 games.
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Jaylen Brown had 17 points and eight rebounds and Jayson Tatum added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists for Boston, which sustained its largest loss of the season.
Los Angeles led by as many as 28 and was about to post its largest margin of victory for the second straight game until Boston’s Jaden Springer hoisted a 3-pointer that went through the net as time expired.
Jan 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and forward Dorian Finney-Smith (17) react against the Boston Celtics in the first half of an NBA game at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The referees confirmed Springer got the shot off in time, meaning the Lakers’ 23-point win over Washington on Monday remains their top blowout win.
Los Angeles shot 47.2 percent from the field, including 15 of 35 from 3-point range.
The Celtics made 38.5 percent of their shots and were 14 of 41 from behind the arc. Springer had 10 points for Boston.
The Lakers led by 15 after three quarters before James scored six points during a 9-0 burst to open the fourth quarter to give Los Angeles a 92-68 lead.
Vincent drilled a 3-pointer as the Los Angeles lead reached 95-70 with 8:54 remaining as it became apparent Boston wasn’t going to make a charge on the second end of a back-to-back.
Earlier, the Lakers led 48-32 after a 3-pointer by Reaves with 6:48 left in the first half. Hachimura and Knecht drained consecutive treys to make it 64-43 with 2:01 remaining.
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Los Angeles was up 67-48 at the break with Davis leading the way with 14 points. Porzingis had 17 in the half for Boston.
Tatum drained consecutive 3-pointers in the third quarter as Boston trimmed its deficit to 74-62 with 7:19 left. The Lakers later pushed the lead back up to 18 on two straight hoops by Jaxson Hayes before the Celtics moved within 83-68 entering the final quarter. –Field Level Media
