Celtics Vs Lakers: Pritchard’s 30 lifts Boston in 111-89 rout in Los Angeles
In a lopsided renewal of the celtics vs lakers rivalry at Crypto. com Arena, Payton Pritchard scored 30 points — including a long buzzer-beater to end the first half — and the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-89 on Sunday.
Celtics Vs Lakers at Crypto. com Arena
Los Angeles hosted a star-studded afternoon that included a Pat Riley statue dedication ceremony before the game. Riley, described in the provided context as a longtime Celtics nemesis and now the 80-year-old president of the Heat, told the crowd to kick some “Boston [expletive]” during his address. The Celtics, however, dismantled the Lakers on the court, pulling away for a 111-89 victory that featured a dominant performance by Pritchard and steady play from Jaylen Brown.
Pritchard’s moments: buzzer-beater, stepbacks and taunts
Pritchard’s afternoon included several demonstrative moments. At halftime he backpedaled, spun and pointed into the Crypto. com Arena crowd after drilling a long buzzer-beater to end the second quarter. Midway through the fourth quarter he drained a stepback 3 over Austin Reaves and then turned toward Reggie Miller, who was announcing the game for Peacock, and shouted in his direction. About a half-hour earlier, Pritchard closed out the Lakers with a dagger 3-pointer; that shot was his sixth 3-pointer in the game.
How the game swung late in the first half
Boston led by 5 before closing the second quarter with an 8-3 run over the final minute to extend the margin to 60-50. Pritchard had a hand in each of Boston’s three baskets during that stretch: he attacked Reaves in transition to create a three-for-two chance, he found Derrick White for a 3 after Jaylen Brown stopped a Luka Dončić drive, and Brown later jumped to find Pritchard well behind the arc. Pritchard created separation from Dončić with a step-back and hit the long 3 as the buzzer sounded. Coach Joe Mazzulla praised the sequence: “I thought it was really good recognition by Payton, Derrick and JB, ” Mazzulla said. “And I thought it was good execution that gave us a little momentum heading into the second half. ”
Role change: sixth man and recent scoring streak
Back as the full-time sixth man, Pritchard surpassed 20 points for the sixth time in his last seven outings and finished with 30 on Sunday. The provided context notes that the reigning Sixth Man of the Year has come off the bench in each of those games after starting for the rest of the season. Pritchard has said the starter-versus-sixth-man question does not matter to him and that the move made sense after the trade of Anfernee Simons because the bench needed another ballhandler and playmaker. “At the end of the day, it’s about, do you play starter minutes, do you finish games?” he said. “So it’s just about, when you get in, what do you do with your minutes?”
Defensive stretch and supporting acts
The Celtics suffocated the Lakers defensively for the final three quarters, relying on Pritchard’s shooting and Jaylen Brown’s steadiness for a runaway win. The provided context notes that Rui Hachimura briefly interrupted Boston’s momentum with a triple during the first half but that the Celtics answered on the final possession. In the fourth quarter, Pritchard created a 15-foot jumper after switching directions and putting his shoulder into Jake LaRavia’s chest three minutes in. With five minutes left, he caught a pass near the rim; what followed is unclear in the provided context.
Scenes around the arena and what’s next
The atmosphere featured Lakers greats in attendance and plenty of theater. Mazzulla, reacting to Riley’s pregame remarks, smiled broadly and said, “He said that? Man, I wish I would have heard that. That’s fun. That’s awesome. Damn. ” Mazzulla also warned the team that the performance must carry forward: “We have to find a way to do it at Phoenix, ” he said, adding that if the effort is only extrinsic it may be hard to sustain. The Celtics will play Tuesday at Mortgage Matchup Center against a Phoenix team without Devin Booker, which is the next confirmed event on their schedule in the provided context.
Photo note in the provided context: Luiza Moraes / Getty Images.
