Celtics beat Lakers - Capital Sports
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Celtics beat Lakers

LOS ANGELES, January 31 – Paul Pierce scored 32 points and the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 109-96 on Sunday in a rematch of last year's NBA Finals, despite a 41-point effort from Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

Ray Allen added 21 points and Kevin Garnett, sporting a bandage over a cut on his head, contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost last year’s championship series to the Lakers in seven games.

"It’s another game, but it was definitely an emotional game, especially because we lost game seven here," Pierce said. "It feels good to come back in this building and get a win."

The Celtics, second overall in the NBA and best in the Eastern Conference, improved to 36-11, while the Lakers fell to 33-15, second in the Western Conference but only fifth-best in the league overall.

"We’re not looking ahead, but maybe if it comes down to another game seven, maybe we’ll have it at home," Pierce said.

Lamar Odom added 15 points and Spanish big man Pau Gasol scored 12 points for the Lakers, who have lost four of their past seven starts and were outrebounded 43-30.

"Guys are upset and they should be," Bryant said. "We’re not playing very well against these top teams, so we need to elevate our level and need to get better if we’re to defend our throne. There’s no other option but that."

Garnett suffered a cut in the second quarter after being struck by Gasol during a battle for the ball. There was no foul whistled on the play, upsetting Garnett, who went to the locker room and had a large bandage covering the gash.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

"I got elbowed in the head and it didn’t change anything," Garnett said. "If anything, it woke me up to be a lot more aggressive to the basket."

Bryant became the youngest player to surpass the 27,000-point mark for his NBA career but the Lakers could not duplicate the success of their prior meeting with the Celtics, an 83-79 triumph last June in game seven to secure their second NBA crown in a row.

Rajon Rondo made 15 of his 16 assists in the second half and made it clear he saw the Celtics as faster and fitter than the Lakers.

"We knew we could run on LA," Rondo said. "Given the personnel that we have, we thought we could outrun them."

The Celtics dominated the second half but the Lakers pulled within 91-87 with 5:20 remaining, only to have Boston score the next seven points as part of an 18-9 run to finish the game.

Advertisement

More on Capital Sports

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 27 – DStv and GOtv subscribers are in for a treat of the world’s best football this week as the 2020-21...

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 25 – There is light at the end of the tunnel. After failed promises over the last three years since its...

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 6 – Gentrix Shikangwa scored with two minutes left as Vihiga Queens sailed to the final of the CECAFA regional qualifiers...

NFL

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 13 – Kenya’s history making Daniel Adongo, the first Kenyan to play in America’s National Football League (NFL), is now living...

© 2024 Capital Digital Media. Capital Group Limited. All Rights Reserved