Boston Celtics: the 3 best C’s games from 2019-20 to watch on NBA League Pass
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers – February 23rd, 2020
The first time the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers played this season, it was a major blowout in favor of the green and white. After an initial scare where the Lakers front-line seemed to overwhelm the C’s, the tide quickly turned and Boston found itself making everything en route to a 22-point victory.
When the two teams met again, it was a much more even contest. Ultimately, it was a loss, but it showed that the team could compete in a key road game against the league’s second best team without their All-NBA point guard in Kemba Walker.
Of note in this game was how well the starters played. All five were in double digits, with varying degrees of dominance. No player was more dominant than Jayson Tatum, who–after playing in his first All-Star game–was able to put up 41 points when being guarded primarily by Anthony Davis.
Daniel Theis put up 16 points and nine rebounds in what was his standout performances of the season. Jaylen Brown put up 20 points in a season full of 20+ point games and Marcus Smart put up a balanced stat line of 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists filling in for Kemba Walker.
Ultimately, this one came down to a Jayson Tatum potential game-tying 3-pointer. Despite his historic February performance, his shot was no good. Even if it had gone, he was ruled out of bounds and the Lakers took home a 114-112 decision. Despite the fact it was a loss, this game is worth a re-watch based on Tatum’s dominance alone.