In the midst of having his statue outside of Crypto.com Arena unveiled,former Lakers coach and NBA legend Pat Riley, still feeling the professional competitiveness against the Celtics, had a simple message.
“The time has come to kick some a–,” Riley said. “To kick some Boston a–.”
The message was delivered but not received, with the Lakers falling to their longtime rivals 111-89 after being stifled by Boston’s defense the entire game.
The Lakers were held to 22 or fewer points in each of the final three quarters, including 18 in the fourth, and shot 39.1% from the field (34 of 87) for their second-worst shooting percentage in a game this season.
Their scoring total marked just the second time they were held to fewer than 90 points.
Luka Doncic finished with 25 points, five rebounds and three assists. LeBron James added 20 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Austin Reaves recorded 15 points and seven rebounds.
Buteach part of the Lakers’ Big 3struggled to get the Lakers’ offense going.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
The Lakers lost the regular-season series to the Celtics, 0-2, for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
The Celtics also beat the Lakers on Dec. 5 in Boston, with the Lakers not having Dončić or James available for the matchup.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
