Celtics rout listless Lakers

Kyrie Irving scored 30 points and Marcus Smart had 16 in the Boston Celtics’ 120-107 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, March 9, in the latest edition of this storied NBA rivalry.

Marcus Morris had 16 points and seven rebounds, and Gordon Hayward added 15 points as the Celtics continued to gather momentum for the postseason with their third consecutive win on a four-game California trip that concludes Monday against the Clippers.

Boston was challenged while LeBron James put up his 80th career triple-double in a patchwork Lakers lineup missing three injured starters, but Irving hit a series of big shots down the stretch to seal it. After missing Wednesday’s win at Sacramento with a bruised thigh, Irving added seven rebounds and seven assists against his famous teammate on the championship-winning Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.

James had 30 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in his seventh triple-double for the Lakers, who have lost five straight in a playoff chase that looks futile at this point.

The Lakers played without Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma after receiving another round of discouraging injury news before the game. Ingram was ruled out for the season with a blood clot in his upper body, a potentially serious problem.

BUCKS 131, HORNETS 114

In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points, 13 rebounds and six assists and Milwaukee beat Charlotte for its NBA-best 50th victory.

Brook Lopez added 25 points and eight rebounds as the Bucks used a second-half surge to knock out the Hornets. It’s just the second 50-win season in the past 30 years for Milwaukee (5016), which went 52-30 during the 2000-01 season. /