James rises to occasion in Lakers’ win
LOS ANGELES: LeBron James delivered the go-ahead jumper with 30 seconds left to help lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-112 victory over the Boston Celtics Sunday as the two decorated franchises renewed their historic rivalry.
“I just gave a little dream shake to the baseline and was able to open up the middle and get my fade-away,” James said.
The NBA powerhouses went down to the wire in a back-and-forth thriller in front of a crowd of almost 19,000 at the Staples Center arena.
Boston and Los Angeles have 33 championships between them and have met in the finals a record 12 times.
Both are once again title contenders, with the Lakers on top of the Western Conference standings and the Celtics in third in the Eastern Conference.
“It’s just special to be part of this rivalry,” James said. “We understand that this has been going on since the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, all the way through.”
James’ fade-away shot gave the Lakers the lead for good, and Anthony Davis sealed the win with three free throws over the final 12 seconds.
James finished with 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, while Davis tallied a team-high 32 points and 13 rebounds as the Lakers also showed good defensive strategy late in the game.
Elsewhere, Coby White came off the bench to score 33 points as the Chicago Bulls weathered a career-high 53-point performance from Bradley Beal to defeat the Washington Wizards 126-117.
Zach LaVine added 32 points, and Thaddeus Young finished with 25 points for the Bulls, who ended an eight-game losing streak.
The Wizards loss also meant the Milwaukee Bucks clinched the earliest play-off spot in 15 years despite not playing.
In Toronto, Pascal Siakam scored 21 points and the Raptors led all the way to score a big win over the Indiana Pacers 127-81.