Udoka said that his boss, Brad Stevens, the former Celtics coach before becoming the team’s president after last season, explained what the first-year coach was about to experience running his first game against the Lakers. … Patriots owner Robert Kraft and a few Pats players were also seated courtside. … C Robert Williams III missed his second straight with a left knee injury. The team’s leading scorer at 26.5 points per game missed his seventh straight with a right hamstring injury. … Asked before the game what the Lakers missed without James, coach Frank Vogel said: “Just quarterbacking it, and leading and running the team.” … It was their second of a five-game road trip.Ĭeltics: Udoka said F Jaylen Brown is “close” to returning and “really wanted to play” on Friday. Lakers: Davis had been listed as probable with a right thigh injury.
The Celtics opened the second half with a 14-4 surge and led 93-82 entering the fourth. “It shows we're not perfect, but the fight is in us,” Smart said. The Celtics were without two starters but rallied. James’ first basket came on a thundering dunk off a drive down the lane 2 ½ minutes into the game.īoston erased a 14-point deficit in the second quarter and took the lead before James’ fast-break layup gave the Lakers a 61-60 halftime edge. The Lakers made nine of their initial 12 shots en route to a 38-30 lead after one quarter. His 3-pointer from the left corner increased it to 116-99 with 5:02 to go. The Celtics led by 11 points entering the final quarter and opened a 109-94 lead on Tatum’s three-point play with 6:59 remaining. Pierce, who went into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year, was also courtside. Russell - introduced as a “true Celtics legend” when he was welcomed back by the PA announcer and shown on the Jumbotron midway into the opening quarter - was seated courtside wearing a hat with the initials “KB” encircled in a yellow heart on the front for Kobe Bryant. The teams who have accounted for nearly half of the NBA's championships with 17 apiece renewed their rivalry in front of a raucous TD Garden crowd that made it seem like a playoff atmosphere from the opening tip. “When he holds it, the crowds get to him. “We stress making quick decisions,” Boston coach Ime Udoka said. Tatum started 1 for 5 from the floor before getting his offense flowing, driving hard for a handful of baskets. “We still have enough with our without to win basketball games," he said. “We need to play better.”ĭavis agreed, noting the Lakers are deep enough to win even without James. “It's never 65 games left (in the season),” James said. James had missed eight games with an abdominal strain, and the Lakers went 3-5 while he was sidelined. Felt good enough that I could trust my body." ”Obviously being out 2 1/2 weeks, I felt kind of like a rookie again, just being away from the game. They each had six rebounds and two assists. Tatum had 11 rebounds and Al Horford added 18 points.Īnthony Davis led Los Angeles with 31 points and James finished with 23 in 32 minutes.
Marcus Smart had 22 points and Dennis Schroder 21 for Boston (8-8), which climbed back to. Tatum scored 37 points and the Celtics won 130-108 in LeBron James’ return to the Lakers' lineup. "Now he's watching me play, that's crazy." “I remember watching him play,” Tatum said, breaking into a smile. “Having someone like Paul come to the game and someone I have a relationship with. “It's a surreal moment, obviously, Bill Russell and the impact he had on the Celtics and the NBA,” Tatum said. On Friday night, he put on an offensive show in front of Celtics Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Paul Pierce in the latest chapter. Tatum scores 37, Celtics beat Lakers in James' returnīOSTON - Jayson Tatum grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant, so he knew all about the Celtics-Lakers rivalry even before becoming part of it.
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