The Los Angeles Lakers’ road trip has been rocky as they suffered back-to-back losses to the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks.
Things looked even more dire when the Lakers announced that LeBron James and Anthony Davis were sitting out against. the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. Los Angeles and Boston remain heated rivals and their regular season matchups are almost always must-see television.
The Celtics were considered massive favorites over the shorthanded Lakers, but it was the purple and gold that would prevail with their best win of the 2023-24 season.
Without James and Davis available, Austin Reaves took it upon himself to carry the scoring burden and he did just that by catching fire from beyond the arc. Reaves made five 3-pointers in the first half and finished the night by knocking down seven total, which was a new career-high for the guard.
Reaves was the game’s leading scorer with 32 points, a season high for him. He shot 10-of-18 from the field and 7-of-10 from the 3-point line against the vaunted Boston defense.
Meanwhile, his backcourt mate D’Angelo Russell handled the playmaking in place of James. Russell made the right reads and passes almost the entire night, giving his teammates quality looks.
The Celtics weren’t their usual selves on defense, and Russell took advantage by swinging the ball to the open man or leading players into open shots. Russell dished out a season-high 14 assists, one shy of his career-high of 15. He also pitched in 16 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
It wasn’t just the guards that stepped up, though, as Jaxson Hayes had his best game as a Laker. Getting the starting nod again, Hayes as a source of energy on the offensive end as he fought hard for extra possessions and cleaned up lobs and interior passes for dunks.
Hayes recorded a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, but also had three steals and two assists. Arguably more impressive, though, is Hayes didn’t commit a foul in 34 minutes.
Jarred Vanderbilt stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals but unfortunately had to leave the game after suffering a non-contact foot injury in the second quarter.
What’s next for Lakers
The Lakers continue their road trip on Saturday against the New York Knicks before it concludes on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets. Next Thursday, however, is a big day as it’s the NBA trade deadline as well as the ceremony to reveal Kobe Bryant’s statue in front of Crypto.com Arena.
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