The Celtics closed out their four-game West Coast road trip with a victory, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 126-115, capping off the trip with a 3-1 record.
Boston came out swinging, starting the game on a 12-0 run and building an 18-point first quarter lead. If not for the efforts of Anthony Davis, who finished with game-highs in points (40) and rebounds (13), it could have gotten ugly quickly for the home team.
Davis poured in 13 of the Lakers’ 23 first quarter points. If you exclude Davis, the Lakers shot a combined 3-of-15 (20%) and had four turnovers. Meanwhile, the Celtics poured in 32 points on 13-of-26 (50%), as they were locked in on both sides of the ball.
However, the Lakers settled in offensively in the second quarter, shooting 14-of-23 (60.9%) from the field and 5-of-8 (62.5%) from deep and strung together stops, cutting Boston’s lead to just one at the half.
The Celtics were forced to close the first half without Jaylen Brown due to a back injury he suffered in a collision with LeBron James. The team called the injury a “lower back contusion,” and Brown returned for the start of the second half.
Overall, it was a well-balanced scoring attack for Boston and a solid offensive approach that helped the Celtics overcome their 13-of-42 (31.0%) shooting night from deep.
The C’s shot 33-of-49 (67.3%) from inside the arc and racked up 31 assists, a charge fueled by Derrick White (11 assists) and Jayson Tatum (7 assists), each tying their season-high.
Boston’s 31 assists marked their third consecutive game with at least 31 assists, as they advance to 6-0 when they record 30+ assists this season and 24-2 dating back to last season.
The Celtics’ starting lineup scored 108 of the team’s 126 points. With the win, the C’s advance to 15-1 when they have their preferred starting lineup this season.
Here are three takeaways as the Celtics sleigh their way to an NBA-best 22-6 record on Christmas Day.
Brad Stevens’ vision
When Stevens and the Celtics acquired Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday over the offseason, the belief was that they were the missing pieces to Boston’s success. As we now pass through Christmas, that is seemingly apparent, as evidenced by the aforementioned 15-1 record when Boston’s preferred starting lineup is healthy.
Their ability to change a game was on full display Monday evening.
Starting with Porzingis, who finished with team-highs in points (28) and rebounds (11), notching his fourth double-double of the season.
The 7-foot-2 big man constantly punished switches and mismatches, dominating the low post and getting to the free-throw line seven times. Porzingis truly is a perfect fit for the Celtics. His ability to score in bunches, stretch the floor, work as a screener, and provide a fearsome presence in the low post completely elevates Boston’s offense.
Not to mention, he recorded two blocks on the night (more than the Lakers as a team), and contested a game-high 13 shots – a number nobody from either team was even remotely close to.
As for Holiday, he once again flirted with a triple-double, scoring 17 points on 7-of-10 (70%) shooting, snagging seven boards, and dishing out seven assists. The five-time All-Defensive selection also recorded a steal and a block – and notably drew the assignment of James, who finished with just 16 points on 5-of-14 (35.7%) shooting.
Holiday has looked much more comfortable in Boston’s offense, especially this week, with each of his three highest-scoring games as a Celtic coming on the West Coast road trip.
Another strong third quarter
Prior to this road trip, the Celtics averaged the third-fewest points per game in the third quarter (26.4) and had the third-worst offensive rating (107.0), ahead of just the Memphis Grizzlies (105.5) and the San Antonio Spurs (96.5).
Those numbers were even worse on the road for Boston, as they averaged just 22.7 third quarter points per game (last in the NBA) and posted an offensive rating of 94.0, second-worst behind just the Spurs (89.5).
It’s been an issue all season. However, Boston flipped the script on this road trip.
After watching their lead dwindle to just one in the first half, the Celtics built up a 13-point lead late in the third quarter, fueled by a 41-point scoring effort in the frame. Their lead never dropped below double-digits again.
Across the four-game road trip, the Celtics averaged 37.5 points in the third period, second-most in the NBA over that stretch behind just the Oklahoma City Thunder (38.5). Their 151.5 offensive rating also trails just the Thunder (154.0) for best in the league over that stretch.
In total, the C’s outscored opponents by 39 points in the third quarter over the four-game trip, an average of 9.8 points per game.
Yes, it’s a small sample size, but this has been a years-long issue for this Celtics team, and this is a big step in the right direction.
Neemias Queta gets the call over Luke Kornet
After missing the last six games due to an adductor strain, Kornet was off the injury report, and available to play for the Celtics Monday evening.
Despite being healthy, Kornet did not appear in the game. Instead, Joe Mazzulla opted to go with Queta.
The 24-year-old Queta was impressive for the Celtics during Kornet’s absence, especially on the West Coast trip.
Though the Portugal native was rather unproductive on the stat sheet, recording an assist and a rebound in his nearly seven minutes of play on Christmas Day, his minutes were well-earned.
Originally signed as a two-way fill-in center, the ex-Sacramento King has proven far more valuable than that and has made a strong case for a standard contract with the team.
While some areas of his game definitely need improvement – such as his fouling, touch on the rim, and feel in some defensive coverages – Queta has proven to be a viable big and it will be interesting to see what the C’s end up doing with him.
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