Celtics Vs Lakers — celtics vs lakers recap: Celtics rout Lakers 111-89 with Pat Riley courtside

Emerson Raymont

Published: February 23, 2026 3:46 AM ET

Celtics Vs Lakers — celtics vs lakers recap: Celtics rout Lakers 111-89 with Pat Riley courtside

This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. In Sunday afternoon's celtics vs lakers matchup, the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-89. The game carried extra weight because Pat Riley sat courtside after a celebration for the unveiling of his statue on the Star Plaza outside Crypto. com Arena and urged the Lakers to fight to create legacies worth chasing.

Celtics Vs Lakers: Riley courtside and the statue unveiling

Pat Riley watched from courtside after a ceremony marking the unveiling of his statue on the Star Plaza outside Crypto. com Arena. The brains behind the Showtime Lakers guided that team to seven NBA Finals and four titles in nine seasons, and Sunday he becomes the first coach to get a statue. On the day his statue was unveiled, Riley urged the Lakers to fight to create legacies worth chasing, a message that framed the rivalry atmosphere for the visiting team.

Decisive moments: 111-89 final and Brown’s late burst

The Celtics won 111-89, a margin that reflected a decisive late stretch. The Lakers (34-22) fell behind by 18 points with 4: 46 left in the fourth quarter after Jaylen Brown was fouled while scoring; Brown made the free throw and then followed that with a three-pointer to put the Lakers in a 21-point hole. That sequence sealed a rout on a Sunday afternoon built around the rivalry.

Luka Doncic, LeBron James and troubling shot charts

Luka Doncic had 25 points for the Lakers but was just nine for 22 from the field. LeBron James had 20 points and was nine for 21 from the field. It was the second time this season the Lakers scored in the 80s, and that also was a loss. When asked about whether the technical fouls and complaints affected focus, Doncic answered, "Maybe....You’re surprised it wasn’t me, huh?" he said. "Then you know it’s bad. "

Lakers' shooting slump and Celtics’ three-point attack

For a team that entered the game shooting a league-best 50% from the field, the Lakers' offense faltered: their shooting slipped to 36. 8% in the second quarter, they shot 39. 1% for the game, and they were 30% from three-point range (nine for 30). The Celtics (37-19) had come in throwing up 42. 4 threes per game, the third-highest output in the NBA, and making 15. 4 of them, also the third-highest; on cue, the Celtics shot 14 for 36 from three-point range in this game.

Technical fouls, officiating complaints and James’ postgame remarks

It was obvious the Lakers felt the intensity of the rivalry: Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart received technical fouls in the second quarter and Lakers coach JJ Redick got a technical in the third. The players were unhappy with officiating that didn’t go their way against an aggressive Celtics defense. "We had some really good looks, " James said. "I think they had a good game plan defensively, forcing us to take some shots … I mean listen, sometimes you got to make shots. And they made timely shots and we didn’t. We didn’t give ourselves a good chance on the offensive end. I think defensively, we held serve as long as we could. But offensively, we didn’t give ourselves a good chance. "