NBA: Brown, Pritchard lead Celtics' dominance over Lakers

Jaylen Brown led the way with 32 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, while Payton Pritchard added 30 points and eight assists as the visiting Boston Celtics continued their February surge with a 111-89 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

Derrick White contributed 12 points and eight assists, and Boston’s defense held the Lakers to just 39.1% shooting from the floor, improving the Celtics’ record to 8-1 since January 30. Boston shot 48.2% overall and opened 2-0 on a four-game road trip against Western Conference teams.

Neemias Queta also chipped in with a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for Boston.

For the Lakers, Luka Doncic scored 25 points, LeBron James added 20, and Austin Reaves finished with 15. Despite the effort, the Lakers lost for the third time in their last five games. When all three stars were on the court this season, Los Angeles now holds an 8-4 record.

James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, surpassed the 43,000-point mark in his record 23rd season.

The Lakers were limited to their second-lowest scoring game of the season, behind only an 88-point effort in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on December 20.

Boston built a lead of up to 14 points in the third quarter and never allowed the Lakers to mount a comeback in the fourth. Brown’s step-back jumper gave the Celtics a 94-79 lead with 6:58 remaining. He later capped an 8-0 run with a 3-pointer to make it 102-81 at 4:11. Pritchard sealed the win with a 3-pointer at 3:24, pushing Boston’s lead to 105-83 and prompting the Lakers to rest their starters for the remainder of the game.

The Celtics took control in the second quarter, turning a first-quarter tie into a 60-50 halftime lead on 52.4% shooting. Brown scored 13 points and Pritchard added 11, while Doncic had 18 points for Los Angeles, which shot 41.9% in the first two quarters.

With the win, Boston secured a 2-0 season series over the Lakers, including a 126-105 victory at home on December 5. The Celtics have now won six of their last eight meetings against Los Angeles since the 2022-23 season.

—Field Level Media/Reuters