NBA Rivalry Week hasn’t disappointed as there have been several great games, but there’s nothing like a matchup between two storied franchises in the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
The Celtics and Lakers are the two winningest franchises in NBA history and although their rivalry has been quelled to a certain degree in recent years there is still no love lost between the two teams. Boston is the reigning NBA champion and thus have an edge in the trophy count, but Los Angeles is arguably just a couple of moves away from being a serious threat in the playoffs.
Although the Celtics are the clear favorites to repeat as champions, the Lakers showed up in a big way as they blew out their rivals 117-96 to pick up one of their best wins of the regular season.
LeBron James has every reason to get up for a game against Boston given their playoff history and the King showed he had an extra gear for his rivals as he was active on both ends of the floor. James set the tone defensively by grabbing rebounds and making the extra rotation on the back end, but he also made some emphatic plays on the offensive end.
James had a pair of dunks that rocked the Crypto.com Arena and have Los Angeles some extra energy. James was also great to begin the fourth quarter, hitting several of his shots to put the game out of reach. He wound up only playing 31 minutes but managed to record 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.
Anthony Davis was the leading scorer for Los Angeles as he dropped 24 points in the win, doing almost all of his damage in the painted area. With the bench unit contributing offensively, Davis didn’t need to overexert himself and focused most of efforts on the defensive end. Notably, Davis recorded three blocks and one steal in just 31 minutes on the floor.
Rounding out the Lakers’ “Big 3” was Austin Reaves who was aggressive with the basketball. Although Reaves got picked on a few times defensively, he more than made up for it with his offensive production.
Reaves finished the night right behind Davis in scoring with 23 points but he also six assists and three rebounds.
Lastly, Gabe Vincent and Dalton Knecht were the spark plugs the Lakers needed to pull out a win as they combined for 25 points off the bench.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers head back on the road and will take on the Golden State Warriors to close out NBA Rivalry Week 2025 on Saturday, also kicking off their annual Grammy road trip, which is one of the longest of the season.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
