Celtics rout Lakers at Garden
Tatum hits five treys in big win
Jayson Tatum started the night with the fourth-highest-selling jersey in the NBA, and by the end had done much to help himself at the register.
On a night when the Celtics scored and moved the ball like they haven’t since Christmas, and defended like they haven’t over the same stretch, their young forward led the way in a 139107 win over the Lakers that snapped a three-game losing streak. It was also the Lakers’ worst loss of the season.
Tatum shot 10-for-18 for his 27 points, including 5-for-8 from downtown, highlighting an overall absurd night by the Celtics from beyond the arc, where they shot 16-for-34 (.471). Kemba Walker, back after a one-game knee-related absence, scored 20 points in 30 minutes.
The Celtics guard also snapped a rather heavy personal losing streak. For the first time in 29 attempts, Walker beat a LeBron Jamesled team.
And though the Lakers figured to hurt the smallish
Celtics inside with their superior size, Enes Kanter came off the bench with an 18-point, 11-rebound doubledouble.
The Celtics had stumbled into the building, losers of three straight and six of their previous eight games. The idea of beating a Lakers team that had won nine of its previous 10 was ambitious, even in the Garden.
“We needed to play well,” said Brad Stevens. “That doesn’t guarantee results, but we had a great film session yesterday that showed a lot of things that we can control — control better than we have. That doesn’t guarantee you’re going to make shots and things are going to go your way. But we put the ball in the basket quite a bit.”
It helped that the Celtics were able to put a rarity on the floor last night — all five of their so-called core players, with Walker and Jaylen Brown, back after a threegame absence due to a sprained thumb, available at once.
The Lakers opened with a flair but fell out of rhythm quickly, though James still managed a near-triple double with 15 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds. Anthony Davis, too, never found a groove with nine points while taking only seven shots during an injury-restricted 23-minute stint.
But after the first two minutes, most had a far different read on the game. JaVale McGee won the opening tap and immediately broke for the basket, where he dunked a Davis alley-oop pass. Danny Green followed with a four-point play, which in turn was followed by a Davis score.
Seldom has an 8-0 lead looked so imposing. Gordon Hayward provided the first moments of normalcy, hitting a 3-pointer and following just under a minute later with a 3-point play. The Celtics were back on track.