Behind the NBA’s hottest new duo, LeBron James and Luka Dončić, the Los Angeles Lakers entered Saturday night time’s showdown with the Boston Celtics on an eight-game profitable streak that had vaulted them up the Western Convention standings and firmly into the championship dialog.
The Celtics have a reasonably good one-two punch of their very own, although, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown issued a stern reminder that the highway to the title runs by Boston. Tatum went for 40 factors, 12 rebounds, eight assists and two steals, whereas Brown added 31 factors, six rebounds and three steals in a 111-101 Celtics win.
“It is an honor,” Tatum stated of the possibility to play within the newest version of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. “The historical past and traditions, all of the legends which have worn these uniforms and competed in these battles. The NBA is a greater place when the Lakers and Celtics are good.”
This was the twenty ninth time that Tatum and Brown have every scored 30-plus factors in a sport, which is the fourth-most by any duo because the NBA/ABA merger. Solely Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (34), Alex English and Kiki VanDeWeghe (33) and Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal (33) have achieved so extra usually.
After an especially aggressive first half, the Celtics broke the sport open within the third quarter thanks largely to their protection. They fully shut the Lakers down, holding them to 13 factors on 5 of 23 from the sphere for the quarter. Actually, the Lakers had extra turnovers (six) than made baskets within the body.
One of many many causes that Tatum and Brown are arguably the perfect duo within the league is that they each get it achieved on each ends of the ground. That was evident within the third quarter as they led the hassle in opposition to James and Dončić, with every developing with a steal from their counterpart.
“When your finest gamers take satisfaction of their particular person protection I feel it units the tone on your workforce, and people guys tackle that problem,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stated.
After all, scoring has by no means been a difficulty for the “Jays,” they usually mixed to outscore the Lakers by themselves within the third (16-13).
And after the Lakers made their inevitable comeback within the fourth quarter, it was Tatum and Brown who closed the present. With 4:36 remaining, Dončić banked in a 3-pointer to chop the deficit to 4. Brown instantly responded with a 3 of his personal in Dončić’s face, and some possessions later, Tatum hit one other triple to push the Celtics’ lead again to double digits.
Together with these two 3s, Tatum and Brown had each single level for the Celtics over the ultimate 4:08, as they outscored the Lakers 12-6 to drag away for the win.
This hasn’t all the time been the smoothest title protection for the Celtics, however Saturday’s win was yet one more reminder that they will take issues to a different stage when they should, and that each one begins with Tatum and Brown.
“It is an honor to have the ability to be a part of a profitable group,” Brown stated. “I am prepared to make sacrifices on both finish to get the job achieved. However on any given night time, I could possibly be the perfect participant on the ground, offense or protection, and my workforce is aware of that and respects that.”
