Recap: Jaylen Brown Dominates vs Short-Handed Lakers at Staples Center
Winslow Townson | USA Today Sports
The Celtics traveled to Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Boston came away with a 120-113 victory over the purple and gold, who were severely short-handed in this one. This wrapped up a three-game road trip for the C’s where they went 3-0.
Jaylen Brown stole the show in LA scoring 40 points on the night. He made 17 buckets on 20 shots on the night and led the game in scoring. There was no one in a Lakers uniform who could do anything to stop Brown.
The other four starters (Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Tristan Thompson) all scored in the double digits as well. It was a great all-around performance by the Celtics. They tallied a whopping 32 assists on the night. It was one of the best displays of ball movement this season.
Robert Williams was ruled out a few hours before tip-off with a potential knee injury. Brad Stevens said it was nothing serious, but the team was airing on the side of caution. This gave Thompson and Luke Kornet a chance to shine. Kornet did not disappoint on the defensive end, finishing the game with four blocks.
LA was led by center Marc Gasol who put up 18 points. It was the first time he scored 17+ in over a year. Talen Horton-Tucker (19) and Ben McLemore (17) also put up solid performances off the Lakers’ bench.
With no LeBron James or Anthony Davis, the Lakers were left without any real answers for Boston’s offensive onslaught. With just over nine minutes to go, Stevens took out his starters and let the bench ride this one out. The bench almost blew it, but the C’s starters came back in to finish the job.
The C’s took home the 120-113 win and will now head back to Boston to take on the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, April 17. That game tips off at 8:30 p.m. (EST) on ABC.
