LOS ANGELES — The Boston Celtics were happy to share on Christmas Day, and it propelled them to a historic holiday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Led by Kristaps Porzingis with 28 points and 11 rebounds, all five starters had at least 18 points for the Celtics in a 126-115 win over the Lakers on Monday.
Jayson Tatum added 25 points, Jaylen Brown had 19 points and Derrick White chipped in with 18 points and 11 assists for Boston, which has won three straight and 12 of their past 14.
“Honestly, we all know that if we push the pace one of us is gonna get a shot. And I feel like when we have that energy and you know if I run to my spot and I run to my lanes I’m gonna get the ball, it just makes everybody do it and do it that much harder,” said Jrue Holiday, who had 18 points and seven assists.
Anthony Davis scored a game-high 40 points with 13 rebounds, LeBron James had 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but the Lakers have dropped six of eight since winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament.
“I don’t think we’re healthy right now. I don’t think we’re where we want to be to compete versus the top teams until we continue to get better and better, continue to work out habits,” James said. “For us, we’re still trying to figure our situation out as far as how we want to continue to attack each game, but we’ll get better.”
It was the third game on Christmas Day between the two most storied franchises in the league. The Minneapolis Lakers won in Boston in 1951, and Los Angeles was victorious in 2008.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) pokes the ball out of the hands of Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 25, 2023, in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/Ryan Sun
The Celtics ran right over the Lakers’ starting lineup, scoring the first 12 points capped by a 3-pointer from Brown, and would lead by as many as 18 in the first quarter.
After trailing for the only time in the game…
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