5 Days of Celtics Games: Boston vs LA Lakers

Overtime Heroics Editorial

1926 days ago

Ladies and Gentlemen: five days, five Celtics games from the 2019-20 season. The last time we saw the Celtics in live-action dates all the way back to March 10th. To say the least, it has been a crazy season so far. As the NBA is now making strides to return, we may not get to see any more regular-season games this year. In this series, we will be looking at the Celtics top five games from this season. We’ll look at all the dominant and breakout performances to the statement wins against some of the league’s best teams. In day one of this series, we will be looking back at a late February game where the Celtics traveled to Los Angeles to face the Lakers.

Celtics vs. Lakers, one of the NBA’s finest rivalries. It doesn’t get much better than that. This matchup was one for the ages this season. Although Boston ultimately lost the game 114-112 behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ 61 combined, it was a statement game for 21-year-old (at the time) Jayson Tatum. Tatum had 41 points on 12 for 20 shooting. Along with his absurd amount of points, he also tallied five rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals.

Celtics’ Jayson Tatum

This was a special game for Tatum. Although he was already selected to compete in the all-star game earlier in the year, this game proved he was one of the league’s best scorers. With this 41 point performance, Tatum became the youngest player in the rivalry between Boston and Los Angeles to score 40 or more points. This was a big accomplishment for Tatum considering all the legends who have suited up for the Celtics and Lakers.

Game Summary

The game was tight for the majority of it. No team pulled ahead more than seven in the second half. Both teams went back and forth in crunch time trading basket for basket. With just under 40 seconds remaining, the Celtics held a 110-108 lead. However, a shooting foul by Jaylen Brown put LeBron James at the line for two free throws. After making the first, James missed the second but the Lakers retained possession after the ball was hit out of bounds by Celtics center Daniel Theis. James then hit a clutch two-point fadeaway shot to put the Lakers up one point with just 30 seconds left. With one last chance for the Celtics, Gordon Hayward passed to Jaylen Brown in the corner, which was ruled out of bounds. The replay showed Brown was nowhere close to out of bounds, but the Celtics were unable to challenge the call. Unable to keep his composure, Boston coach Brad Stevens said too much to the referee, earning himself a technical foul, ultimately sealing the game for the Lakers.

In a very controversial ending, the Celtics were handed a loss from the Lakers. Despite the defeat, Tatum’s 41 points solidified him as one of the best scorers in the league. In an all-around tense and heated matchup, this matchup comes in at No. 5 on my list for the best regular-season games of the Celtics season. Join me again tomorrow for No. 4 on my list where the Celtics grab a statement win over one of