The famous person duo Sunday in Los Angeles wasn’t Luka Doncic and LeBron James. It was Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard.
The Celtics teammates mixed for 62 factors as Boston blew out the Lakers 111-89 at Crypto.com Area within the newest installment of the NBA’s most historic rivalry.
Brown led all scorers with 32 factors, plus eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 36 minutes. Pritchard had 30 factors on 10-of-14 capturing, together with 6-of-9 from 3-point vary, in 37 minutes off the bench.
It was the very best in a string of superb performances by the starter-turned-sixth man, who’s topped 20 factors six occasions in seven video games because the Anfernee Simons-for-Nikola Vucevic commerce prompted head coach Joe Mazzulla to shift him again to the second unit.
Pritchard additionally tallied a team-high eight assists and 4 rebounds within the win, which improved Boston’s file to 37-19 and 13-6 in opposition to the Western Convention.
“(I’m) simply coming in and being aggressive, figuring out that our group wants a scoring punch off the bench,” Pritchard mentioned in a postgame interview with NBC’s Zora Stephenson. “We clearly have Vucevic, too, that we added, so us two coming off the bench, it’s like starter-level. So it helps, particularly in that second unit. However regardless, it don’t matter if you happen to begin the sport or no matter. It issues if you happen to end it and assist your group win.”
The Celtics blew out the Lakers 126-105 when the groups met Dec. 5 at TD Backyard, however LA performed that recreation with out Doncic, James and Marcus Good. Each squads have been at or close to full energy Sunday, with solely Jayson Tatum — who seems to be closing in on a return from Achilles surgical procedure — unavailable.
Boston’s offense discovered early success by feeding Vucevic within the put up. The veteran middle made all three of his first-quarter discipline objectives — all from inside six ft — and in addition drew a foul after an entry cross. Considered one of Vucevic’s makes got here off an alley-oop from Derrick White, who picked Jarred Vanderbilt’s pocket after a rebound and lofted a cross to the reducing huge man.
Acquired from Chicago forward of the NBA commerce deadline, Vucevic has posted a plus/minus of plus-11 or higher in 4 of his first 5 video games as a Celtic. The 35-year-old was a plus-15 in 21 minutes Sunday, ending with 9 factors and eight rebounds.
“(I’m feeling) higher and higher every day,” Vucevic instructed NBC Sports activities Boston sideline reporter Abby Chin. “(On Saturday), we had one other follow, which helped me. However every day, higher and higher. … It’s simply every day course of. We’ll proceed to work on it. However I assumed to this point, it’s been good. And so long as we’re profitable issues simply all fall into place.”
Hugo Gonzalez was one other first-quarter standout for the Celtics. The 20-year-old hounded the Lakers’ prime stars, forcing misses by Doncic (25 factors, 9-for-22, minus-21) and James (20 factors, 9-of-21, minus-14) with stingy protection and notching a steal together with his full-court stress.
The interval ended with a rookie mistake by Gonzalez, nonetheless. Austin Reaves baited him right into a three-shot foul simply earlier than the buzzer, then made all three free throws to tie the sport at 28-28.
Pritchard made two highlight-reel 3-pointers early within the second quarter — one from the brand to beat the shot clock and a vicious stepback that left Vanderbilt mendacity on his again within the paint. The second put the Celtics forward 34-33, and so they led for the remainder of the half.
“I identical to to ball, what I imply?” Pritchard instructed Stephenson. “If the ball’s in my arms, generally I like to bop with it, get separation and make a play. Generally I shoot it, generally I make a play for my teammates, but it surely’s nearly discovering separation.”
Brown shot simply 3-for-12 from the sphere earlier than halftime, however his aggressive drives earned him 10 journeys to the foul line, almost matching the Lakers’ first-half group complete (11). These included two technical free throws Brown shot after Reaves and Good have been T’d up for arguing. (They believed Brown, not Good, ought to have been penalized after the 2 collided beneath the LA basket.)
Brown introduced the stress defensively, too, with three first-half steals, two of which led to fast-break baskets on the different finish.
Doncic saved the Lakers shut with 18 first-half factors, however the Celtics started to separate late within the second quarter. White scored eight factors within the last 3:26, together with a 3-pointer that gave Boston its first double-digit lead of the sport.
Then, after a Rui Hachimura three, Pritchard shook free from Doncic and buried a 30-foot buzzer-beater that despatched the Celtics into the locker room up 60-50.
King of the Buzzer Beater 👑 pic.twitter.com/Ivilddukch
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 23, 2026
It wasn’t the three-quarter-court heave that Pritchard hit in opposition to Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks in Sport 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals, but it surely had an analogous impact. The Celtics managed play all through the third quarter, then pulled away within the fourth for his or her eighth win within the final 9 video games.
Pritchard hit a 3-pointer on his first contact of the second half and one other lower than two minutes later. Boston’s lead reached 14 factors when Gonzalez caught Doncic sleeping on an after-timeout inbounds cross. A Brown stepback three made it 84-71 getting into the fourth.
Los Angeles opened the ultimate interval with a 6-2 run, however Pritchard responded with back-to-back midrange makes to retake momentum. He then drew a foul on the following Boston possession, assisted on a Brown jumper and hit a fadeaway that made it a 15-point recreation with 5:12 to play.
Good tried in useless to shut the hole in opposition to his former group, making an attempt three fourth-quarter 3-pointers and lacking all three. The previous Celtics guard completed with zero factors on 0-for-7 capturing in 22 minutes.
Consecutive threes by Brown and Pritchard completed off the Lakers. Down 105-83 with 3:24 remaining, Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick pulled his starters. Mazzulla adopted go well with, sending in deep reserves Luka Garza, Amari Williams and Ron Harper Jr. for the ultimate couple of minutes.
Sitting second within the East behind the Detroit Pistons, the red-hot Celtics shut out their four-game West Coast swing with a back-to-back in opposition to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday and Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.
