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Celtics, Porzingis Dispatch Rockets

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HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kristaps Porzingis scored a game-high 32 points while Jaylen Brown added a triple-double as the visiting Boston Celtics outlasted the short-handed Houston Rockets 116-107 on Sunday.

Porzingis finished 6-for-11 from behind the arc as the Celtics went 17-for-47 from deep as a team. Brown had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and Derrick White finished with 21 points and 12 boards for Boston, which was without Jrue Holiday (elbow) and Al Horford (rest).

The Rockets were without starters Fred VanVleet (back) and Jabari Smith Jr. (ankle). Rookies Amen Thompson, who had career highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Cam Whitmore were inserted into the starting lineup, and the Rockets produced a valiant effort, closing within 93-90 when Dillon Brooks (25 points) scored with 9:13 to play.

But Whitmore missed two free throws and Porzingis answered with a midrange jumper before Payton Pritchard nailed a corner 3-pointer that enabled the Celtics to reclaim control for good.

Alperen Sengun notched a triple-double for Houston with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Houston, having trailed by 17 points in the first half, pulled within 85-80 when Aaron Holiday buried a 3-pointer with 2:25 left in the third quarter. But the Celtics extended their lead back to double digits entering the fourth when Brown sank a floater and White drilled a step-back 3-pointer with 31.9 seconds left in the third.

Back-to-back Porzingis threes provided the Celtics with their first double-digit lead at 18-8 with 5:52 remaining in the first quarter.

Porzingis tallied 15 points in the first period to help Boston grab a 35-25 advantage, but Houston kept clawing despite its short-handed rotation. Jalen Green followed his circus layup with another bucket in the paint to pull the Rockets within 44-39 with 7:39 remaining in the second quarter.

But the Celtics surged to a 17-point lead behind triples from Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Porzingis. White, meanwhile, scored in the paint four times down the stretch of the first half, and his 12-foot floater with 2.4 seconds left extended the Boston lead to 70-55 at intermission.

Porzingis and White combined for 36 first-half points, and Boston did additional damage on the offensive glass by converting nine offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 21

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | On Midyear in the NBA

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Twenty and one. The Boston Celtics are no longer undefeated at home where 17 NBA Championship banners hang in the rafters of TD (Boston) Garden, high above a parquet floor that many of us remember from viewing on a Black and White television set when the Celtics were positioning nine of those 17 banners during the 1960s. Only the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers (once voted the NBA’s Greatest Team of All-Time) broke the streak for the full decade.

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At the halfway mark of the NBA season, the Celtics are atop the league-wide ladder, and they’ll face the Houston Rockets who will be coming off a game against the Utah Jazz – a back-to-back the Rockets could live without. Boston’s 32-10 (.762) record was blemished when the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets earned a had-fought victory on the parquet and under Boston’s revered 17 banners.

Denver (29-14) is two games behind Midwest Division leader, the Minnesota Timberwolves, surprise leaders in the NBA’s Western Conference. At the Half, the West is full of surprises as the Los Angeles Clippers lead the Pacific and New Orleans Pelicans lead the Southwest Division.

If the NBA Playoffs were to start this weekend, Sacramento, Utah, Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers would all be competing as “Play-In” teams, ranked No. 7-10 out West. All four of those clubs were preseason favorites. In the East, the standings have proven-out as many predicted with the Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers leading the pack. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers, winners of a league-leading six straight as they faced the (18-23) Atlanta Hawks, can be considered a surprise contender.

The midyear layout of the NBA standings call-out one question at this point of the season: Why?

In the EAST:

BOSTON: The deepest and most talented of the NBA’s 30 teams. The Celtics boast a starting five who could all be considered NBA All-Stars. Jayson Tatum (27, 8 and 4) leads the team, but is backed-up by Jaylen Brown (23, 5 and 4), newly acquired center Kristaps Porzingis (19, 7 and 2) while the backcourt of Derrick White (16, 4 and 5) and Jrue Holiday (13, 6 and 5) round out the talented starters. Depth and defense remain plentiful and the Celtics’ main concern to to start the month of May healthy, especially at the center (“bigs”) position with Porzingis and 37-year old Al Horford needing to guard rivals such as Philly’s Joel Embiid and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

MILWAUKEE AND PHILADELPHIA: There are no big surprises with the fact both Milwaukee (Central) and Philly (Four games behind the Celtics in the Atlantic) will all strive for the top spot and home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs. If Boston holds on to the No. 1 spot, it will force a very difficult and physical Eastern Conference Semifinal match-up between the Bucks and 76ers.

Out WEST:

The West is much more complicated and volatile. Only 3.5 games separate the Timberewolves from the Clippers (No. 1-4) and the fact the Nuggets and Finals MVP Nicola Jovic are ranked third, poses potential Playoff match-up nightmares for every round. Add to the turmoil, the NBA’s first “In-Season Tournament” champion LA Lakers hover in the dangerous No. 10 slot, only a half game ahead of the Rockets.

Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Sacramento New Orleans, Dallas and Phoenix are all formidable opponents and will all meet one or the other in the early rounds come April and May.

Good luck predicting the Western Conference bracket.

MVP: The logical recipients of the 2023-24 NBA Most Valuable Player are (possible repeat) Joel Embiid (who has only played in 30 of the club’s 40 games thus far); Giannis Antetokounmpo; and Nikola Jovic.

Coach of the Year: The media always seeks out the underdog, rather than the league leader, so that bodes well for Minnesota’s Chis Finch or Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault ahead of Denver’s Michael Malone, Boston’s Joe Mazzulla or Philly’s Nick Nurse.

Rookie of the Year: With all the very well deserved hype and praise for San Antonio’s amazing center Victor Wembanyama (team-leading 19, 10 and 3.1 blocks), the midyear favorite for RofY is Chet Holmgren of Oklahoma City. Holmgren who is averaging 17 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per game while averaging 30 minutes in all 41 of OKC’s games. The Thunder are 28-13 and in serious contention in the West while Wembanyama’s Spurs are in the West basement with only seven wins and 34 losses. With two viable candidates, usually the one on the winningest team gets the vote. Holmgren is also considered an elite defender.

Most Improved: Houston’s Alperen Sengun, who has raised his scoring averages from a rookie year of 2021-22 (9.6 ppg), to 2022-23 (14.8) to this season at (21.5), seems to be the most deserving candidate. That noted, sometimes voters go for players drafted in the NBA Lottery positions instead of someone like Sengun who was picked 16th and only played 20 minutes a game as a rookie.

Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey is considered the favorite for Most Improved, and again, he’s playing for a real contender. Since being drafted in R-1, No. 21 in 2020, Maxey has steadily increased his PT and scoring averages (8.0, 17.5, 20.3 and this season, 26.2 ppg).

Defense Wins Championships: If you are one to focus on defense rather than any offensive statistics or current place in the standings, the Minnesota Timberwolves (with Defensive Player of the Year favorite C Rudy Gobert) are the league-leaders. Minnesota has the league-leading defensive rating of 108.6. Here are the Top 10:

  1. Minnesota 108.6
  2. Boston 110.6
  3. Cleveland 111.2
  4. Orlando 111.5
  5. Philadelphia 111.6
  6. Oklahoma City 112.0
  7. Houston 112.5
  8. New Orleans 112.6
  9. New York 112.8
  10. Miami 113.0

BOLD PREDICTION: It’s January 21 and the Super Bowl has yet to be played, never mind the NBA All-Star Game. In the second half of the NBA regular season, a team’s fortunes can turn upside down with one season-ending injury to a key player. That can happen to any team, any night.

Forsaking any major injury to any NBA All-Star or key rotation player, there’s absolutely nothing going on in the Association that makes me think the Denver Nuggets can not repeat as NBA champions. Miracle worker, center and 2023 NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic is the best player in the game and Michael Malone just might be the best head coach in the NBA. The deep, experienced Nuggets roster – starters and reserves – can play with the best of ‘em. The Nuggets have a tremendous home-court advantage, even when they don’t have the extra home game in a seven game series. Playing at altitude in the Mile High City is worth a game. On Friday night, the Nuggets proved they could win at TD Boston Garden, albeit a slim 102-100 victory with Jamal Murray scoring 35 points while Jokic had a 34, 12 and nine performance against the defensive-minded Celtics.

No matter which team comes out of the East, they’ll have played a very demanding Eastern Conference Finals.

Yes, a Minnesota, Oklahoma City, LA Clippers, Sacramento or New Orleans are capable of upsetting the defending champions, but it’s not likely. Take Denver as your 2024 NBA Champion.

STRAT-O-MATIC: The folks at Strat-0-Matic frequently use their software to predict the results of “real-life” sports. Before the 2023-24 NBA season played a game, Strat-O-Matic predicted the Boston Celtics would take home the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Trophy as winners of the NBA Finals. The Celtics were tapped to finish with a 64-18 record, and they were named as winners over the Minnesota Timberwolves (nice pick, eh?).

The Strat-O-Matic technicians thought they’d give it another run at the NBA’s halfway mark, simulating the season thousands of times and guess what? The Celtics finished with the same record of 64-18 and advanced to the NBA Finals once again.

Let’s wait and see if the Strat-O-Matics have properly scouted Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Pete Rose (l) and Bud Harrelson squared off behind second base, leading to a bench-clearing brawl between the Reds and Mets in Game 3 of the 1973 NLCS. (file photo).

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: On January 11th, the Harrelson family, the New York Mets and Major League Baseball lost one of the great players and ambassadors of the game of baseball in Derrel McKinley “Bud” Harrelson.

Harrelson died at the age of 79 as a result of the complications of Alzheimer’s disease of which he was diagnosed in 2018. Harrelson played shortstop for the Mets from (1965 to 1977) and later managed the club for a portion of the 1990 season. He was the only person to be on the roster for both the 1969 Mets World Championship (as a player) and the 1986 Mets World Championship club (as a coach). Harrelson coached and managed in both the major league and minor league levels, and, in 2000, he settled in as part owner and manager of the Long Island Ducks independent league team. Harrelson made Long Island his home, living in Hauppauge and East Northport.

The outpouring of love and appreciation of Harrelson by nearly all New Yorkers was evident in the week after his death, especially by his Long Island Ducks franchise.

There’s a personal story to be told about Buddy Harrelson and it stems from the tussle he had with Cincinnati Reds all-star Pete Rose in Game 3 of the 1973 National League Championship Series (NLCS).

It was some nine or ten years after that October ‘73 day, and my story took place on an off-day of the NBA Playoffs in Philadelphia. My Hall-of-Fame level boss, Brian, and I finished up our NBA duties for the afternoon and decided to catch a couple innings at the Vet. We walked directly across the street from The Spectrum, and bought two upper level tickets – HIGH – behind the plate – section 503, if I remember. We grabbed a cold beer and a hot dog and settled in alongside a rather sparse crowd.

Minutes later – beers yet to kick in – Pete Rose (playing for the Phillies) – gets up to bat and I stood up and just start screaming at the guy. Keep in mind at that time, there wasn’t any inkling of gambling controversies and he is the all-time hits leader for MLB.

“YOU SUCK Rose. YOU SUCK!”

“You should retire. You’re washed UP.”

Brian looked at me as though I was Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair). His jaw dropped and he had no idea what the hell I was doing, except being quite likely to provoke a fight with the CRAZY Phillies fans.

Rose grounded out, and I lit into Rose all over again. “You see, a weak ground-out, YOU BUM!

“ROSE – YOU SUCK”

All the Phillies fans moved a row or two away from us until the inning ended, and a brave soul walked over and said something like, “You two seem like nice guys,” in that GREAT South Jersey/Philadelphia accent.

“Why did you yell at Pete Rose like that? He’s one of the best players ever.”

I just dead-panned, “Well, this is the first time I’ve seen him since the fight with Buddy Harrelson and I thought I’d give him a piece of my mind.”

Rest in Peace, Bud.

Twenty and One

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jamal Murray scored a game-high 35 points and Nikola Jokic added 34 to help the Denver Nuggets hand the Boston Celtics their first home loss of the season with a 102-100 victory on Friday night.

Murray made 15 of 21 shots from the floor. He also had eight rebounds and five assists. Jokic finished with 12 rebounds and nine assists.

Jayson Tatum missed a 17-foot jump shot that would have tied the score with three seconds to play. Denver came up with the rebound and ran out the clock.

Boston entered the game 20-0 at home this season, and had won 27 straight home games dating back to last season.

Derrick White led the Celtics with 24 points. Tatum finished with 22 and Kristaps Porzingis had 21. Porzingis, who scored Boston’s first 11 points, was held to two points in the second half.

Al Horford had 10 rebounds for Boston, which had its three-game winning streak end.

The Celtics were 14-of-44 from beyond the 3-point arc. Jaylen Brown scored 13 points, but was 1-of-9 on 3-point attempts. Tatum was 1-of-8 on 3-pointers.

The Celtics went on a 7-0 run to take a 98-95 lead with 4:51 to play, but Denver took the lead for good on a Jokic basket that put the Nuggets in front 99-98 with 3:36 remaining.

Michael Porter Jr. finished with 13 points and eight rebounds and Aaron Gordon added 10 rebounds for Denver.

Boston led 32-31 after one quarter, built a 12-point lead in the second and had a 61-55 advantage at halftime. Porzingis, Murray and Jokic each scored 19 in the first half.

A Jokic 3-pointer put Denver in front 69-68 with seven minutes left in the third, but Boston responded with a 9-0 run to take a 77-69 lead. The Nuggets scored the final eight points in the third and trailed 82-81 entering the fourth. White scored 13 of Boston’s 21 points in the third.

–Field Level Media

Long-range Game Sinks Spurs

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jayson Tatum tossed in a team-high 24 points and the short-handed Boston Celtics made 18 of their 38 3-point attempts en route to a 117-98 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

Jrue Holiday finished with 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Boston. Holiday made six of his seven shots from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Celtics played without starting center Kristaps Porzingis (right knee inflammation) and starting point guard Derrick White (left ankle sprain).

The victory improved Boston’s home record to 20-0. The Celtics are the only NBA team that hasn’t lost on its home court this season.

Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 27 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes. He shot 10 of 19 from the field and made 2 of 6 3-point attempts.

Wembanyama entered the game leading all NBA rookies in scoring (19.6 ppg), rebounding (10.3), blocks (league-best 3.2) and steals (1.14).

 

 

Devin Vassell scored 21 points for San Antonio, which received nine points and 10 assists from Tre Jones. The Spurs never led after the first quarter.

San Antonio shot 41.9 percent from the field (39 of 93) and 20.6 percent from 3-point territory (7 of 34).

The Celtics, who received 12 points off the bench from Payton Pritchard, outrebounded the Spurs 54-41. Boston hit 46.7 percent of its field-goal attempts (42 of 90).

The Celtics led 30-25 after one quarter and outscored the Spurs 40-20 in the second to take a 25-point halftime lead. Boston shot 60 percent from the field in the first half, when it made 13 of its 19 3-point attempts. The Celtics ended the half on a 12-2 run.

 

 

NOTES: Boston had a 30-point lead early in the third, but San Antonio shaved 14 points off of its deficit and trailed 94-78 entering the fourth. The Spurs failed to pull closer than 16 points in the final 12 minutes.

It was the second game between the teams this season. Boston won the first meeting 134-101 at San Antonio on Dec. 31.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Meet Pacers Monday Night

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics will be seeking back-to-back victories over the Indiana Pacers when the teams meet Monday night in Indianapolis.

The Celtics received 38 points, 13 rebounds and six assists from Jayson Tatum and led wire to wire in a 118-101 road victory against the Pacers on Saturday. The loss ended Indiana’s six-game winning streak.

Tatum made a season-high eight 3-pointers and was 14 of 23 from the field. Jaylen Brown added 31 points in the win.

The Celtics led by 16 in the first half, but the Pacers were within three points, 84-81, after three quarters. Boston opened the fourth quarter with a 16-4 run, and Indiana failed to get within single digits after that.

“We started playing with the right intentions,” Tatum said. “We had too many turnovers in the first half and that’s what got them back into the game. This team — they feed off turnovers and playing in transition. Just really taking care of the ball and knowing who we wanted to attack.

“It’s going to be tough (Monday),” Tatum continued. “They’re going to make adjustments. We have to see what we can do better. It’s like a playoff series on the road. We won Game 1. Gotta get ready for Game 2.”

Indiana, which leads the NBA in scoring (126.8 ppg), was held to its lowest point total of the season in Saturday’s loss. The Pacers were 8 of 42 from behind the 3-point arc (19.0 percent).

“We missed a lot of shots,” Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “They’re a really good defensive team, but we shot a lot of shots that we like. I mean, I’ll go back and watch film so I can really tell you, but felt good with a lot of the shots that we shot today. Just didn’t capitalize on them.”

Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 20 points in the loss. Haliburton added 17 points, six rebounds, seven assists and five steals, but he was 5 of 17 from the field and 2 of 9 from 3-point range.

The Celtics missed nine of their 19 free throws but outrebounded Indiana 56-38.

“We were right there,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “We were down one and gave up a two-pointer at the end of the third quarter. We were down three after three and hadn’t played particularly well.

“We never had a lead in the game and we’re doing some good things defensively, but the rebounding is a big problem.”

The Celtics overcame the loss of center Kristaps Porzingis, who headed to the locker room in the first quarter with an eye injury after he was hit in the face by Aaron Nesmith. Porzingis, who is averaging 19.8 points per game, warmed up before the start of the second half but did not return to the game.

Boston’s Al Horford came off the bench and finished the game with 10 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

“We just can’t keep taking (Horford) for granted,” Tatum said. “Best teammate I ever had. Ultimate professional and somebody we can count on night-in and night-out, and he proved that again tonight.”

The Pacers may have Bruce Brown back in the lineup Monday. Brown has been dealing with a bone bruise on his right knee and didn’t play Saturday, which was Indiana’s second game in as many nights.

Boston has won two of three games against Indiana this season.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Crush Spurs, Wembanyama

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SAN ANTONIO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jayson Tatum poured in 25 points and Jaylen Brown added 24 as the visiting Boston Celtics put away the game in the third quarter of a 134-101 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

The Celtics, the No. 1 team in the NBA, won their season-high-tying sixth straight game, while San Antonio, at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, dropped its second consecutive contest.

Boston led by 12 at halftime but pulled away with a dominating third quarter in which it outscored the Spurs 40-23. Brown had 16 of Boston’s points in the period while Tatum added 10, including seven in the final 2:05 of the quarter, after which the Celtics were up 105-76.

Boston cruised in the final period, stretching its lead to as many as 37 as both teams mainly rested their starters.

Derrick White scored 17 points for the Celtics, with Kristaps Porzingis hitting for 14, Luke Kornet producing 12 and Sam Hauser tallying 11.

Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 22 points. Victor Wembanyama added 21 and Malaki Branham had 11. San Antonio played without Keldon Johnson (back spasms) and Zach Collins (sprained right ankle).

Brown’s driving layup with 5:33 to play in the first quarter granted the Celtics a 21-12 lead. Boston was up by as many as 11 in the frame before a 3-pointer by Sandro Mamukelashvili at the 1:32 mark pulled the Spurs within 30-22 after 12 minutes of play.

San Antonio closed the gap to 42-35 just over 3 1/2 minutes into the second quarter on Wembanyama’s pullup jumper. Branham’s three-point play with 5:33 remaining in the quarter got the Spurs to within four before Boston scored the next seven points to move the margin back to double digits at 55-44.

The Celtics pushed their lead to 15 points on White’s 3-pointer with 27.3 seconds remaining and owned a 65-53 advantage at the break.

Tatum led the Celtics with 15 points before halftime while White had 13. Wembanyama paced the Spurs with 15 points and Vassell added 11 in the first half.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Remain Unbeaten at Garden

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After a close call, overtime victory against the lowly Detroit Pistons, the Boston Celtics can remain the NBA’s only team without a home loss this season by beating the Toronto Raptors tonight.

Boston is coming off a 128-122 overtime victory against Detroit on Thursday. That win improved the Celtics’ home record to 15-0. The 1957-58 Celtics hold the record for consecutive home wins to start a season (17).

Kristaps Porzingis scored a season-high 35 points Thursday, when Boston overcame a 21-point deficit late in the first half to hand Detroit its 28th straight loss. The Celtics were out-rebounded 57-43 and shot 11 of 39 from 3-point range (28.2 percent).

“We knew that first half was really uncharacteristic for us and we had to turn it on in the second half,” Porzingis said. “Our effort was just completely different in the second half. This was a little bit of an example that when you’re good it’s easy to get complacent, maybe. That’s maybe what happened to us in the first half after a long time being on the road, different time zone — all those excuses we can find, of course. We just didn’t come out the right way. … Definitely a valuable experience.”

Jayson Tatum added 31 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for Boston, which received a 23-point performance from Derrick White. It was Boston’s first win in four overtime games this season.

“I didn’t think we played very hard,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Didn’t execute in the first half and then we played Celtic basketball in the second half.

“(Friday) will be another experience, another challenge. Regardless of how (Thursday’s game) went, we have to be ready for (the Raptors).”

Friday’s game will be the second stop on a three-game road trip for the Raptors, who ended a five-game road losing streak by beating Washington 132-102 on Wednesday night. It was Toronto’s largest margin of victory this season.

The Raptors will play eight of their next nine games away from home.

OG Anunoby led the offense with 26 points against Washington. Pascal Siakam added 22 points and Scottie Barnes finished with 20 points.

“It’s always good to win, and it’s especially good to win on the road,” Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said.

Rajakovic tweaked the starting lineup against the Wizards by inserting Gary Trent Jr. for Dennis Schroder, who contributed nine points and 10 assists.

“It was a change that we were looking for for some time,” Rajakovic said. “We decided that it was a good opportunity today to put Scottie Barnes more as a ballhandler and also we wanted to have Dennis to help with the second unit.

“Obviously it was one game. We’re going to continue looking at it and continue as we go.”

The Raptors had 43 assists in the win, one shy of the franchise record set earlier this season against Detroit.

“That’s a sign of playing the right way,” Anunoby said. “Getting in the paint, kicking the ball out and everyone being unselfish … wanting to see your teammates succeed.”

Friday’s game will be the third meeting between the Raptors and Celtics this season. Boston prevailed 117-94 at home on Nov. 11, and 108-105 at Toronto on Nov. 17.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Take It to the Lakers

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis scored 28 points and had 11 rebounds to lead the visiting Celtics to a 126-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA’s featured game on Christmas Day.

Porzingis, who did not play in Boston’s win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday because of an ankle injury, helped the Celtics overcome a 40-point performance by Lakers center Anthony Davis, who shot 15 of 26 from the field. Davis also pulled down 13 rebounds.

The Lakers trailed by nine points after three quarters and trailed by at least eight points throughout the fourth. Los Angeles never led by more than two points.

Boston’s Jayson Tatum finished the game with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. The Celtics also received 18 points and 11 assists from Derrick White, 19 points from Jaylen Brown and an 18-point effort from Jrue Holiday.

Taurean Prince (17 points), LeBron James (16), Rui Hachimura (12) and Austin Reaves (11) also scored in double figures for the Lakers. James, who had nine rebounds and eight assists, collided with Brown with 4:02 remaining in the first half, but both returned to the game.

It was the final game of Boston’s four-game California road trip. The Celtics went 3-1 in those contests.

The Celtics scored the game’s first 12 points. The Lakers didn’t get on the scoreboard until Cam Reddish sank a 3-pointer with 8:59 remaining in the first quarter.

Boston extended its lead to 32-14 with 3:11 left in the opening quarter, but Los Angeles ended the frame with a 9-0 run and trailed 32-23 after 12 minutes.

The Lakers tied the game, 52-52, on a Prince 3-pointer with 2:04 remaining in the second quarter, but Boston led 58-57 at halftime.

Los Angeles had its first lead of the game after a James basket made it 59-58 24 seconds into the third quarter. The Celtics outscored the Lakers 41-33 in the period, however, and had a 99-90 advantage entering the fourth.

After making a total of 47 3-pointers in their previous two games, the Celtics were 13 of 42 from deep on Monday.

–Field Level Media

Christmas Day: Celtics vs. Lakers

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LOS ANGELES – The Boston Celtics can continue their recent torrid shooting toward some familiar rims when they visit the Lakers for a Christmas Day matchup between longtime rivals Monday.

After beating the Sacramento Kings 144-119 on the road Wednesday, the Celtics earned a 145-108 victory in Los Angeles against the Clippers on Saturday. Boston made 47 3-pointers during the two victories, a franchise record for made 3-pointers in a two-game stretch.

The Celtics weren’t even at full strength for the pair of games. Jayson Tatum didn’t play against Sacramento because of a sprained ankle, and Boston didn’t have Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) against the Clippers.

Tatum returned to the lineup Saturday and scored a game-high 30 points against the Clippers, while hitting half of his 10 attempts from 3-point range. Monday’s game will be played in the same downtown Los Angeles arena.

“We just play to our strengths,” Tatum said. “Nine times out of 10, everybody on the floor can space the floor and shoot. No matter if we’re shooting 50 percent or 20 percent, we always want to create the advantage and find the open man.

“I think that’s what makes us so dynamic. Everybody can space the floor, so it’s hard to guard us one-on-one. And if you help, we always got shooters around. It’s all about taking the right shots.”

Saturday’s victory over the Clippers marked the first time the Celtics have scored at least 140 points in back-to-back games since 1966. It was Boston’s seventh win in its last eight games, and the Celtics scored a combined 289 total points in consecutive contests.

“I do like the fact that we’re developing a fast-paced identity and not turning it over,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said when asked about the high-scoring pair of games. “I think at times in the past, we’ve played fast but turned it over. So we’re finding a good balance of pace and execution, which I think is important. But it’s not because of the points. I just liked our execution.”

The Lakers ended a four-game losing streak with a 129-120 road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. LeBron James was moved to point guard and scored a season-high 40 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter and 11 in the final 4:29.

James was 13 of 20 from the field and made all of his five 3-point attempts. He also had seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.

“To know I can go out and still make game-winning plays and affect the game in multiple ways, and I can still close out a game in the fourth quarter when my team needed it, when they started making a run, it’s always a good feeling, for sure,” James said.

Anthony Davis added 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who also received a 21-point performance off the bench from Rui Hachimura.

James changed positions after point guard D’Angelo Russell was moved into a reserve role. Jarred Vanderbilt was inserted into the Lakers’ starting lineup.

“The result was a win,” Russell said. “For me, that’s all that matters.”

The Lakers entered Saturday’s game with one victory in six games since winning the NBA’s in-season tournament.

“We’ve been kind of struggling,” Hachimura said. “The schedule, the travel, all of that, but we talked about it after the game, the last game in Minnesota, and said the next game has to be a must win. (Anthony Davis) said it.

“We’ve got to keep doing it. We just got to get into a rhythm and the next one’s big too, the Christmas game against the Celtics. We’ve just got to go out there again like we just did and try to get into rhythm.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics: Kings for a Day

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SACRAMENTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Derrick White scored 28 apiece and the Celtics bounced back from an overtime loss 24 hours earlier in San Francisco to thump the host Sacramento Kings 144-119 on Wednesday.

Playing without Jayson Tatum, who sprained his left ankle Tuesday at Golden State, and Al Horford, who got a night off in the second game of a back-to-back set, the Celtics overcame a 41-point Kings first quarter with improved defense over the final three periods.

Kristaps Porzingis returned to the Celtics’ lineup and scored 24 points. He was rested on Tuesday. Boston snapped a four-game road losing streak and won for the sixth time in seven games overall.

De’Aaron Fox produced a game-high 29 points for the Kings, whose three-game winning ended.

Getting three 3-pointers from Fox and two from Keegan Murray, the Kings sprinted out to a 23-11 lead in the game’s first 5:09.

The Celtics got within 41-38 by period’s end, then held Sacramento to 25 and 24 points, respectively, in the middle two periods while running out to a 113-90 lead by the end of the third quarter.

Despite shooting 47.3 percent overall and 47.7 percent on 3-point attempts, the Kings never posed a threat over the final 12 minutes, adding just 29 points to their total.

In accumulating its second-biggest point total of the season, Boston did the hosts better in both shooting categories, making 55.4 percent overall and 52.4 percent of its 3-point tries. The 22-for-42 night from beyond the arc came one night after the Celtics went just 17-for-58 (29.3 percent) from long distance against the Warriors.

White’s 28 points consisted mostly of 3-pointers, as he went 6-for-9. Payton Pritchard buried six of 11 3-point shots off the bench en route to 20 points, while Jrue Holiday went 4-for-6 from long range as part of a 21-point, 10-assist performance.

Porzingis was Boston’s leading rebounder with nine. He made seven of his 11 shots.

While the Celtics had five players score 20 or more points, the Kings had just Fox with his 29. He made six of his eight 3-point attempts, while his teammates were just 15-for-36 (41.7 percent).

Domantas Sabonis pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to go with 13 points and eight assists for Sacramento. Murray (13), Keon Ellis (12), Trey Lyles (11), Harrison Barnes (10) and Malik Monk (10) also scored in double figures.

–Field Level Media