A shorthanded Lakers group walked into TD Garden on Friday night hoping to hang around and maybe steal one, but the reality of playing without LeBron James and Luka Doncic hit them early. Los Angeles simply never found its footing against a red-hot Celtics squad, falling 126-105 in a game that felt lopsided long before the final horn.
With LeBron resting his lingering sciatica and foot issues and Doncic away for personal matters, the Lakers were left to piece together an offense that could keep them competitive. Instead, they ran into a Boston team that couldn’t miss from deep and moved the ball with ease all night.
Austin Reaves tried to keep the Lakers afloat with one of the best scoring performances of his season, but Boston’s early avalanche from three-point range immediately exposed just how thin Los Angeles was without its stars. The Celtics knocked down a season-best 24 threes and controlled the scoreboard from the opening minutes, stretching the lead to 29 in the second quarter before the Lakers managed to chip it back to a more respectable margin heading into the fourth.
Even a late cameo from Bronny James, who got his first real taste of playing in Boston with his father watching from the bench, couldn’t change the tide as the Celtics kept the game firmly in hand. For a Lakers team that had won eight of their last ten coming in, Friday served as a reminder of how quickly things can unravel without their leaders.
1. Austin Reaves Carried The Offense, But He Had No Help
Reaves stepped into a massive scoring role with both LeBron and Doncic unavailable, and he delivered everything the Lakers could ask for. He finished with 36 points on 9-of-18 shooting, knocked down three triples, and lived at the free-throw line, going 15-for-17. He added eight assists and played a team-high 33 minutes, constantly initiating offense and absorbing the extra defensive attention Boston sent his way. For long stretches of the night, he was the only Laker capable of creating something from nothing.
The issue for Los Angeles wasn’t Reaves; it was the lack of secondary creators. Outside of his 36 points, the rest of the Lakers’ starting backcourt combined for just 18 points from Gabe Vincent and six from Jake LaRavia, while the bench produced only 26 total points. The team managed just 15 assists collectively, compared to Boston’s 31, illustrating how stagnant the offense became when Reaves wasn’t directly involved.
2. Boston’s Three-Point Barrage Overwhelmed The Lakers’ Defense
The Celtics punished nearly every defensive coverage the Lakers tried, and the numbers were staggering. Boston drilled 24 threes on 53% shooting, repeatedly capitalizing on late rotations and breakdowns that stemmed from Los Angeles’ limited personnel. Jaylen Brown set the tone with 30 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, while Derrick White and Jordan Walsh combined for 36 points and nine made threes.
Even when the Lakers managed to tighten things up inside, holding Boston to just 38 points in the paint, they simply couldn’t chase shooters off the line. The Celtics assisted on 31 of their 46 field goals, moving the ball with a level of fluidity the Lakers couldn’t match. The defensive rebounding was another small but costly issue: Boston grabbed 39 boards to the Lakers’ 35, and many of those extra possessions turned into open threes that broke Los Angeles’ momentum.
3. The Supporting Cast Struggled To Keep The Game Competitive
With two franchise pillars out, the Lakers needed a collective effort to keep the game within reach. Instead, they were met with uneven performances across the roster. Rui Hachimura scored 13 points but finished -15, DeAndre Ayton grabbed 10 rebounds but contributed just six points, and neither player forced Boston to adjust defensively. Jake LaRavia added six points of his own, but the starting lineup outside Reaves and Vincent combined for only 25 total points.
The bench didn’t fare much better. Dalton Knecht had an off-night (1-for-5), while Jaxson Hayes and Drew Timme combined for just three total points in 34 combined minutes. Nick Smith Jr. provided a brief spark with 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting, including three threes, but he was the lone reserve who really made a dent. Even Bronny James’ encouraging stint, five points, an assist, and a confident 2-of-3 shooting, came long after the outcome was decided. In the end, the Lakers shot just 43% from the field, produced 14 turnovers, and never led for a single second.
