Celtics Vs Lakers: celtics vs lakers — Celtics 111-89 Lakers (Feb 22, 2026) Game Recap
celtics vs lakers played out on Feb. 22, 2026, as the Celtics’ 111-89 domination of the Lakers at Crypto. com Arena served as a blunt statement that should silence any who still doubt they are legit contenders. The win followed a dismantling of the Warriors three nights earlier in a game in which Stephen Curry did not play.
Riley dedication set the stage
The afternoon at Crypto. com Arena was star-studded and begged for dazzle and magnificence. A Pat Riley statue dedication ceremony preceded the latest edition of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, and Riley implored the Lakers to kick some "Boston [expletive]" in his address to the crowd and his supporters, who included Lakers greats.
Mazzulla’s reaction and remarks
When told about Riley’s line after the game, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla lit up "as if he had just received a ‘Red Ryder Carbine Action’ air rifle on Christmas morning. " Mazzulla asked, "He said that?" and added with a rich grin, "Man, I wish I would have heard that. That’s fun. That’s awesome. Damn. "
Celtics Vs Lakers: Game flow
The Celtics suffocated the Lakers defensively for the final three quarters, relying on the brilliance of Payton Pritchard and the steadiness of Jaylen Brown to build a runaway result. Boston rose to the occasion, played above the level of its opponents and pounded another worthy foe with balance that proved decisive.
Pritchard’s late dagger threes
About a half-hour before the final horn, Payton Pritchard closed out a listless Lakers team with a dagger 3-pointer and then shouted in the direction of NBC analyst and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller. That shot was his sixth 3-pointer in one of his top performances in recent memory, punctuated by a handful of style-point shots and a series of stepback 3-pointers that wowed the crowd.
There was a first-half triple in which Pritchard may have given a little shove to the Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt before hitting the shot in front of the Celtics’ bench. He added a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half and give Boston a 10-point lead. Finally, Pritchard sent Lakers faithful into the dusk with a stepback that pushed the lead to 22 points with 3: 22 left; he turned around and started — unclear in the provided context.
Motivation, health and context
The Lakers were fully healthy for the matchup, with LeBron James and Luka Doncic among those motivated by watching previous franchise greats celebrate the 80-year-old Riley, who is now the president of the Heat. Riley’s urging of his former franchise to whip its biggest rival was only supposed to provide even more motivation for the Lakers; it didn’t, because the Celtics wouldn’t allow it.
Mazzulla on maintaining swagger
While Mazzulla acknowledged the theater lights of Crypto and the circumstances in which most of his players watched their all-time favorite players flourish, he warned against complacency. "We have to find a way to do it at Phoenix, " Mazzulla said, referencing a Tuesday meeting at Mortgage Matchup Center against a Phoenix team without Devin Booker. "If it’s a short-term thing, if it’s an extrinsic thing that gets you there, it’s going to be very hard to turn that into an intrinsic one 48 hours from now. "
He added, "We have a bunch of competitors out there. They’re smart. They know what this means. But you have to have the gratitude and perspective of what the game is. You felt that [intensity] in the middle of the first quarter. Both teams were like in a brother-in-law game at the beginning and we took it to a different level. " The term "brother-in-law game" is a new Mazzulla-ism, his way of saying the teams were rather polite and cooperative until the occasion called for more intensity and passion.
The Celtics’ 111-89 victory at Crypto. com Arena was emphatic: a dominant defensive effort, Pritchard’s clutch shooting, and Mazzulla’s insistence that the team carry its swagger forward to Phoenix for the next test.
