It wasn’t just a loss; it was a flat, disjointed showing from the Los Angeles Lakers that never quite found rhythm against the Boston Celtics.
Boston dictated the pace, won the rebounding battle by 11, moved the ball with purpose, and shot nearly 50% from the field. Meanwhile, the Lakers misfired all night – 39.1% overall, 30.0% from three, and just 66.7% at the line. Even when they trimmed the deficit briefly, the response never lasted.
This one felt off from the start, so let’s dive into the player ratings.
Luka Doncic: B
Game Stats: 25 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 1 BLK, 2 TOV, 9-22 FG, 4-7 3-PT FG, 3-6 FT, 33 MIN
Luka Doncic generated points, but it came with volume. He knocked down four threes and had stretches where he looked ready to spark a run, yet the overall efficiency and missed free throws prevented a true takeover. Boston stayed comfortable defensively.
LeBron James: B-
Game Stats: 20 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TOV, 9-21 FG, 1-5 3-PT FG, 1-1 FT, 34 MIN
LeBron James tried to steady things, but the efficiency wasn’t there. He forced a few looks he normally converts and couldn’t consistently bend Boston’s defense. The defensive effort showed in stretches, yet he never fully seized control the way the Lakers needed.
Austin Reaves: B-
Game Stats: 15 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TOV, 4-10 FG, 1-4 3-PT FG, 6-7 FT, 32 MIN
Austin Reaves was able to take advantage of some of the space and was able to be one of the few players able to get force body contact from the Celtic defenders. However, when it comes to shooting from the outside, he did not do enough of a job to help give the rest of the team confidence and create a positive impact on the game.
Luke Kennard: C+
Game Stats: 9 PTS, 3 REB, 1 STL, 1 TOV, 3-4 FG, 1-2 3-PT FG, 2-2 FT, 22 MIN
Kennard did a good job of shooting the ball correctly and provided a bit of space from the defense. For his sake, it might be a good idea for Redick to give him a few more minutes to get more floor spacing in games they struggle.
Jarred Vanderbilt: C
Game Stats: 3 PTS, 5 REB, 1 TOV, 1-3 FG, 1-1 3-PT FG, 11 MIN
Vanderbilt showed energy and hit his one three. But his minutes were limited and the overall impact was minimal.
Jake LaRavia: C
Game Stats: 4 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TOV, 2-2 FG, 24 MIN
Efficient in his attempts and active defensively, but the -18 plus/minus reflects how difficult his stretches were as Boston extended runs.
Rui Hachimura: D+
Game Stats: 5 PTS, 2 REB, 2-7 FG, 1-4 3-PT FG, 21 MIN
Rui had some decent shots, but he was not able to hit them. With scoring support needed, many of his missed shots added to the offensive issues of the Lakers.
Deandre Ayton: D
Game Stats: 4 PTS, 7 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TOV, 2-6 FG, 25 MIN
As a team, they were outrebounded. Ayton was required to show up a lot more. 12 rebounds were taken by Queta on the other side. Ayton was silent offensively and didn’t change the paint battle in favor of LA.
Marcus Smart: F
Game Stats: 1 REB, 4 AST, 0-7 FG, 0-5 3-PT FG, 22 MIN
It was simply a rough night. Smart couldn’t buy a shot, missing all seven attempts, and the spacing suffered because of it. While he moved the ball and competed defensively, the offensive void was glaring.
Dalton Knecht: N/A
Game Stats: 1 REB, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3-PT FG, 3 MIN
Missed his lone attempt and didn’t find a rhythm.
Jaxson Hayes: N/A
Game Stats: 2 PTS, 1 REB, 1-2 FG, 5 MIN
Brief minutes, limited opportunity to influence the interior battle.
Kobe Bufkin: N/A
Game Stats: 2 PTS, 1-2 FG, 0-1 3-PT FG, 3 MIN
Mediocre performance while playing garbage time.
Maxi Kleber: N/A
Game Stats: 1 AST, 0-2 FT, 3 MIN
Very little playing time. He missed both free throws and did little overall.
