National Basketball Association
Boston 126, L.A. Lakers 115
When: 5:00 PM ET, Monday, December 25, 2023
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #35 Jason Goldenberg, #77 Karl Lane, #48 Scott Foster
Attendance: 18997

Kristaps Porzingis scored 28 points and had 11 rebounds to lead the visiting Boston Celtics to a 126-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

Porzingis, who did not play in Boston's win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday because of an ankle injury, helped the Celtics overcome a 40-point performance by Lakers center Anthony Davis, who shot 15 of 26 from the field. Davis also pulled down 13 rebounds.

The Lakers trailed by nine points after three quarters and trailed by at least eight points throughout the fourth. Los Angeles never led by more than two points.

Boston's Jayson Tatum finished the game with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. The Celtics also received 18 points and 11 assists from Derrick White, 19 points from Jaylen Brown plus 18 points, seven assists and seven rebounds from Jrue Holiday.

Taurean Prince (17 points), LeBron James (16), Rui Hachimura (12) and Austin Reaves (11) also scored in double figures for the Lakers. James, who had nine rebounds and eight assists, collided with Brown with 4:02 remaining in the first half, but both returned to the game.

It was the final game of Boston's four-game California road trip. The Celtics went 3-1 in those contests.

The Celtics scored the game's first 12 points. The Lakers didn't get on the scoreboard until Cam Reddish sank a 3-pointer with 8:59 remaining in the first quarter.

Boston extended its lead to 32-14 with 3:11 left in the opening quarter, but Los Angeles ended the frame with a 9-0 run and trailed 32-23 after 12 minutes.

The Lakers tied the game, 52-52, on a Prince 3-pointer with 2:04 remaining in the second quarter, but Boston led 58-57 at halftime.

Los Angeles had its first lead of the game 24 seconds into the third quarter when a James basket made it 59-58. The Celtics outscored the Lakers 41-33 in the period, however, and had a 99-90 advantage entering the fourth.

After making a total of 47 3-pointers in their previous two games, the Celtics were 13 of 42 (31 percent) from deep on Monday.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Boston   L.A. Lakers
Kristaps Porzingis 28 Scoring Anthony Davis 40
Derrick White 11 Assists LeBron James 8
Kristaps Porzingis 11 Rebounds Anthony Davis 13
Jayson Tatum 12 Free Throws Made Anthony Davis 8
Jaylen Brown 3 Steals Taurean Prince 1
Kristaps Porzingis 2 Blocks Anthony Davis 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Boston 126 50.5 13-42 21-28 31 44 7 8 8
L.A. Lakers 115 47.8 13-32 16-21 24 43 1 4 12
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game at home against Charlotte. The Lakers have a W/L % of .438 after a win and .600 after a loss.
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Celtics have a W/L % of .783 after a win and .833 after a loss.