Jayson Tatum scored 44 points, Jaylen Brown added five of his 25 in overtime, and the Boston Celtics blew a 20-point lead in the second half before rallying from a late 13-point deficit for a thrilling 122-118 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Marcus Smart hit four 3-pointers and scored 18 points for the NBA-leading Celtics, who wrapped up their six-game trip by avoiding their first three-game losing streak of the season.
Anthony Davis had 37 points and 12 rebounds, but he also missed two free throws with 28 seconds left in regulation to allow the Celtics back into it. LeBron James scored 33 points in a memorable chapter of the famed rivalry between the 17-time champion teams dubbed “the two pillars of our league” by new Lakers coach Darvin Ham.
“I missed two free throws to go up four. Different ballgame," Davis said of his two missed free throws with 28 seconds left. I had a chance to ice the game and I missed both.”
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The rivals played a wild second half in which the Lakers rallied from an 81-61 deficit midway through the third quarter with a 45-12 surge. Boston then erased Los Angeles’ 106-93 lead in the final 3:40 with a 17-4 run capped by Tatum’s tying jumper with 17.8 seconds left.
"One false move and they’re going to make you pay," said Lakers' head coach Darvin Ham about the team's late rally. "I’m disappointed we lost, but I'm proud of my guys. We competed all the way to the end. We gave ourselves a chance to win, but we came up short.”
Russell Westbrook had 20 points and 14 assists for Los Angeles, but he also missed three open jumpers in overtime while the Celtics pulled away with 12 consecutive points. In their first game back from a six-game trip, the Lakers lost for the fourth time in five games after an 8-2 stretch that breathed life into their slow-starting season.
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"You miss a shot and you live with it," said Westbrook. "We did a good job of getting the shots we wanted, we just missed them."
James scored 22 points after halftime for Los Angeles, but Smart hit his fourth 3-pointer with 45.8 seconds left to trim the Lakers' lead to 110-108.
"After a long road trip the first game back is always the hardest," said James after the Lakers finished a six-game, 12-day east coast road trip on Sunday. "It showed in the first half tonight. We gave ourselves a chance to win and we just didn't close it out."
Davis then bricked two free throws, echoing his miss on a potential winning free throw with 3.7 seconds left in regulation of what became an overtime loss for the Lakers at Philadelphia last Friday.
“I missed one in Philly. Missed two tonight. Both resulted in losses," said a visibly dejected Davis. "For me, you go back to the free throws…and that’s where my head is right now.”
Tatum coolly tied it with his 14-footer near the baseline, and James missed a 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Al Horford missed his fifth straight game. He is expected back this weekend. ... Robert Williams remained out recovering from preseason knee surgery, but he is expected to make his season debut soon.
Lakers: James had the 516th 30-point game of his career, passing Wilt Chamberlain for the second-most in NBA history. ... Dennis Schröder had two points and one assist against the Celtics, who signed him in the summer of 2021 after his negotiations to stay with the Lakers broke down. Boston traded the German guard to Houston last February, and he returned to the Lakers in September. ... Wenyen Gabriel missed his fifth straight game with a left shoulder sprain.
UP NEXT
Celtics: Host Orlando on Friday.
Lakers: Host Denver on Friday.
