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NBA Christmas

NBA Christmas in LA

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LOS ANGELES – (Wire Service Preview) – Two teams looking for a return to form meet when the Los Angeles Lakers face the visiting Houston Rockets in a Christmas Day matchup Thursday. Both teams still are in the top half of the Western Conference standings, but their recent play has been underwhelming at times. Houston has lost four of its last five games, while Los Angeles has dropped three of its last five.

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Los Angeles lost consecutive games for the first time with Tuesday’s 132-108 road defeat to the Phoenix Suns. Lakers star Luka Doncic left early from a loss Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers with a lower leg contusion and did not play against the Suns on Tuesday.

ESPN reported Wednesday that Doncic will play against the Rockets.

LeBron James had 23 points at Phoenix to lead Los Angeles, while Austin Reaves returned after missing three games with a left calf strain and scored 17.

Lakers coach JJ Redick questioned his team’s defensive effort after allowing Phoenix to shoot 58.8% from the field. The Suns scored 45 points in the third quarter and took a 112-86 lead into the final period.

“There are shortcuts you can take, or you can do the hard thing and you can make the second effort,” Redick said. “Or you can sprint back or you can’t. It’s just a choice. And there’s a million choices in a game, and you’re very likely not gonna make every choice correctly. But can you make the vast majority of ’em correctly? It gives you a chance to win.”

Los Angeles received a spark from center Deandre Ayton, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds following a two-game absence. However, Ayton’s presence wasn’t enough to keep his former team from scoring 62 points in the paint.

“We just lack physicality a little bit, effort,” Lakers forward Jake LaRavia said. “I don’t know how many points they got off second-chance (21), but they were getting a lot of extra possessions. We just gotta be better. That’s all it is. Regroup and get ready for the next game.”

James enters the contest as the NBA’s career-leader in Christmas games played (19) and points scored on the holiday (507). Houston star Kevin Durant is fourth all-time in points scored on Christmas with 342.

Houston is wrapping up a six-game road trip after allowing the Clippers to shoot 54% (20 for 37) from 3-point range in Tuesday’s loss.

Durant scored 22 points to lead the Rockets, while Alperen Sengun had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Both players rested for the entire fourth quarter.

Houston’s last three losses have come to teams at the bottom of the Western Conference standings in the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and the Clippers, but Durant isn’t overreacting to his team’s slump.

“When you’ve got expectations on you as a team and you’ve got the microscope on you as a team, every loss can feel bigger than what it is,” Durant said. “Every win can feel like you damn near won a championship. But that’s just the amount of pressure that comes with the expectations of us being a good team.

“These losses are gonna make us better. They’re gonna help us grow character, help us continue to figure out what we need to do to be effective as a group. So through the midst of it all, just keep grinding and keep figuring it out.”

–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