Celtics Vs Lakers: Boston’s 111-89 Road Rout in Los Angeles Reinforces Contender Status

In the latest celtics vs lakers chapter, the Boston Celtics delivered a decisive 111-89 win in Los Angeles on Feb. 22, 2026, sweeping the season series and extending a hot run that has the team closing the gap atop the Eastern Conference. The result combined a dominant scoring night from two Celtics stars with moments of drama in a star-studded Crypto. com Arena atmosphere.

Celtics Vs Lakers: Key box-score moments and what changed the game

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Payton Pritchard poured in 30 points with six 3-pointers and eight assists. Brown and Pritchard each scored 19 points in the second half. Pritchard capped the victory with a step-back 3-pointer with 3: 24 to play, a dagger that prompted the Lakers to empty their bench amid scattered boos.

The Lakers were held to their second-lowest point total of the season. Luka Dončić finished with 25 points and LeBron James scored 20 while reaching the 43, 000th point milestone of his career. Austin Reaves added 15 points. The Lakers also suffered the loss of backup center Jaxson Hayes to an ankle injury before halftime and were whistled for three technical fouls after a series of questionable calls that repeatedly disrupted their composure.

How Payton Pritchard’s role shifted and why it mattered

Pritchard is back as the full-time sixth man and has surpassed 20 points in six of his last seven outings. He has come off the bench in each of those games after starting earlier in the season. The move to the second unit followed the trade of Anfernee Simons and addressed a bench need for another ballhandler and playmaker, helping to balance the rotation. Pritchard’s energy was palpable: a halftime celebration after a buzzer-beating 3 to end the second quarter, and a later stepback over Austin Reaves that included pointed chatter directed at a nearby announcer, underscoring how engaged he was in the rivalry moment.

Sequence that swung the game: Pritchard, Brown and a final-minute burst

Boston led by five before finishing the second quarter on an 8-3 run to take a 60-50 lead. Pritchard was involved on each of the team’s three late baskets: he attacked Reaves in transition to create a three-for-two chance; after Jaylen Brown stopped a Dončić drive, Pritchard found Derrick White for a 3-pointer; and Pritchard then created separation from Dončić and nailed a long 3 at the buzzer. Those plays provided momentum that the Celtics managed for the rest of the night.

Later in the fourth, Pritchard showed craftiness inside and out, switching directions on a dribble before finishing with a 15-foot fadeaway and continuing to create high-impact plays in his reserve minutes.

Context and spectacle: statues, speeches and storylines around the game

The afternoon was star-studded ahead of tipoff, and the Lakers honored Pat Riley during a halftime ceremony after unveiling a bronze statue of the former coach outside their downtown arena. Riley, an 80-year-old figure now serving as the president of another franchise, was a longtime Celtics nemesis and was described as imploring the Lakers to respond forcefully to Boston in his address to the crowd. Riley won six championship rings during his two decades in Los Angeles, including nine seasons and four titles as the head coach of the 1980s Showtime Lakers.

Those circumstances—Riley’s statue dedication, a packed venue and visible star power—were expected to add fuel for the Lakers, who were largely back to full health with Dončić and James on the floor together for only the 12th time this season. Instead, the Celtics suffocated Los Angeles defensively for the final three quarters and relied on Pritchard’s brilliance and Brown’s steadiness for a runaway win.

Aftermath: momentum, standings and the road ahead

Boston’s win was its third straight and eighth in nine games as it attempts to close the gap on Detroit atop the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics’ 111-89 domination may silence doubters about their status as legitimate title contenders, especially coming on the heels of a dismantling of another high-profile opponent three nights earlier, a game in which that opponent’s star did not play.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla celebrated the performance but emphasized the need to carry the same intensity forward, warning that if the uplift was extrinsic it could be hard to translate into intrinsic drive 48 hours later when Boston travels to face a Phoenix team that will be without Devin Booker. Mazzulla coined the term "brother-in-law game" to describe the early politeness between rivals before the occasion demanded more intensity.

Notable historical and season context

• Boston swept the season series with the Lakers with this victory; the teams have a combined 35 NBA titles.
• The Celtics beat the Lakers 126-105 in Boston last December when Dončić and James were out.
• LeBron James played his 1, 600th regular-season game and joined Celtics great Robert Parish (1, 611) as the only NBA players to reach the mark.

Details in this recap are drawn from the game and surrounding coverage; some on-court specifics and postgame reactions were noted in the arena and remain part of the developing conversation around both teams.