Celtics just embarrassed Lakers on national TV (and one thing made it easy)

In the latest chapter of the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers rivalry, the Cs dominated their LeBron James (sr.), Luka Doncic-less opponents, coasting to a 126-105 victory.

Here's what stood out.:

Basketball is so much easier when the threes are going in

The Celtics jumped out to an early lead over the Lakers, for a lot of reasons, but the most prominent was the red-hot three-point shooting. Boston made 10 of their first 14 attempts from long range, mounting a 27-point advantage early in the second quarter.

It’s crazy how much hot shooting helps everything. Every aspect of the Celtics’ game went up a level when the shots were falling. Don’t get it twisted. They came to play, locked in on defense, and took it to their rivals.

If they could shoot 53% from deep every game, they may never lose again.

Gabe Vincent remains a demon

Celtics fans have less-than-fond memories of Lakers guard Gabe Vincent, who played a massive role in the Miami Heat’s upset win over Boston in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

In that series, Vincent rose far above expectations and was a colossal thorn in the Celtics’ side.

Time is a flat circle. He turned back the clock on Friday and kept the Lakers (somewhat) in the game with 18 points on 5-10 from the field.

Derrick White’s hot streak is going strong

Derrick White is looking more and more like himself with every game. The Celtics guard kept his hot shooting going Friday, after posting a season-high 30 points against the Washington Wizards, 24 hours prior.

White came out of the gates hot, with nine quick points in the first quarter on 3-5 from beyond the arc. It didn’t stop there, either.

He played a huge role in curbing L.A.’s second-half comeback efforts with big shots like this one.

White finished the night with 19 points, six assists, five rebounds, and a block against L.A. on 7-14 from the field and 5-10 from long range.

The Celtics are actually looking for Neemias Queta when he rolls to the basket

Neemias Queta didn’t put up monster numbers or anything against L.A., but it actually felt like he was involved in the game. That hasn’t always been the case this season, by no fault of his own. The big man typically rolls to the basket unguarded after setting screens for his teammates. He also typically doesn’t receive a pass in those situations.

Whether it’s not the first read, or the Celtics would rather swing the ball around the perimeter in those spots, Queta’s lack of love in the pick-and-roll has been an offensive trend for the Cs.

Boston got him involved on Friday. Their second bucket of the game came on an alley-oop to the Portuguese big man, injecting some energy into the TD Garden crowd. Payton Pritchard found him on a lob again later in the game, somehow setting him up through traffic.

There was even a third attempt from White that sailed over Queta’s outstretched arms.

Queta ended up with 10 points and six rebounds to round out an impressive night from Boston’s starting five.

At the very least, they’re looking to get him involved when they can -- a step in the right direction.