On Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the daunting task of taking on the Eastern Conference leaders, the Boston Celtics, on the road without superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Celtics were expected to blowout the Lakers at TD Garden, but shockingly, the visitors ended up winning 114-105. They led after every quarter of the game and looked comfortable throughout the night.
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The Celtics caught a lot of flak on social media for their dismal performance at home against a 24-25 Lakers team that was missing their two best players. NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins was critical of the Eastern Conference leaders’ performance as well. He called them out on X, formerly called Twitter, and even took a dig at James and Davis, writing,
“The Celtics should be ashamed of themselves!!! I guess Bron and AD been holding the Ham and the Lakers back lol. Carry the hell on.”
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has been under scrutiny for the Lakers’ horrendous form since winning the In-Season tournament. However, the team’s surprise win over the Celtics seemed to silence his critics and flip the narrative on LeBron and AD instead, for not elevating their teammates despite their terrific individual numbers. At least, Perkins seemed to think so.
Gilbert Arenas also chimed in on the Lakers’ win. He posted a video joking about how Ham would probably walk into the locker room with a smug look of vindication after the win over the Celtics.
With James and Davis out, young guard Austin Reaves was free to showcase his offensive prowess, and he made the most of the opportunity. AR15 scored 32 points, dished three assists, and grabbed two rebounds. He attempted a season-high ten three-pointers and banked seven en route to scoring more points than Celtics’ All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined.
Reaves delivered a statement with his performance that he should be involved more in the Lakers’ offensive game plan.
Skip Bayless celebrates the Lakers’ win while Austin Reaves delivers a simple message to teammates
Noted LeBron James critic Skip Bayless was ecstatic about the Lakers beating the Celtics in their backyard without the four-time MVP’s presence on the floor. Post-game, the veteran analyst posted on X,
“No LeBron. No AD. No problem for Austin Reaves and the Lakers, playing with pride at Boston. As James Worthy just said on the Lakers’ postgame show, ‘We spanked that Celtics a**.'”
While Bayless and James Worthy sang Reaves’ praises, the young guard wasn’t letting his outstanding performance get to his head. In the post-game press conference, Reaves refrained from taking credit and complimented the team’s defensive effort, saying,
“If you remember Bron’s quote from the other night ‘go out and do your job’ and I feel like that’s just what we did tonight. It was nothing special, it wasn’t like we were out there running a million set plays. We went out there and competed our ass off, we gave it a 110% on the defensive end.”
Reaves spoke like a veteran despite being one of the youngest players on the roster. The third-year star showcased immense maturity after one of the best performances of his career. The Lakers improved to 25-25 and still desperately need to string together a run of wins to rise in the Western Conference standings.
This win could serve as a template for their offensive and defensive game plan in their upcoming games with James and Davis back in the lineup. The Lakers’ supporting cast showcased they can beat even the best team in the league without the franchise’s superstar duo.
