On March 9, Beijing Time, the 2024 - 25 NBA regular season continued. The Los Angeles Lakers faced a highly - anticipated away game against the Boston Celtics. After the full - court battle, the Lakers lost to the Celtics 101 - 111, and their previous 8 - game win streak came to an end.
Full - court statistics: The specific scores of each quarter were 33 - 33, 21 - 25, 13 - 29, 34 - 24 (the Celtics' scores are listed second). For the Lakers, LeBron James scored 22 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out 9 assists. He unfortunately withdrew from the game in the middle of the fourth quarter due to a groin strain. Luka Dončić scored 34 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and had 3 assists in vain under tight defense. In addition, Austin Reaves had 16 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists; Maxi Kleber scored 9 points and grabbed 5 rebounds with 1 assist; Finney - Smith had 8 points and 4 rebounds; Goodwin scored 6 points and grabbed 3 rebounds; Jarred Vanderbilt had 4 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum scored 40 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, had 8 assists and 2 steals; Jaylen Brown had 31 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals; Al Horford scored 14 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and had 4 assists and 3 steals; Derrick White had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists; Jrue Holiday scored 7 points and grabbed 5 rebounds with 1 assist; Robert Williams III scored 6 points and grabbed 4 rebounds; Payton Pritchard had 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks.
Game review: At the start of the first quarter, Finney - Smith made a three - pointer. Reaves and Vanderbilt scored consecutive baskets by attacking the rim. Dončić made 1 out of 2 free throws after drawing a foul, and the Lakers got off to an excellent 8 - 2 start. However, the Celtics quickly adapted to the Lakers' style of play and gradually brought the game into their familiar rhythm. In the middle of this quarter, Tatum, Brown, Horford and White made 4 three - pointers in a row, and the game returned to an even situation. As the quarter neared its end, James made a layup and then continuously delivered excellent passes to help Kleber and Goodwin score. But the Celtics' offensive firepower continued. Tatum made two more three - pointers. After the first quarter, the Celtics and the Lakers were tied at 33.
In the second quarter, the close - fought situation continued. Holiday and Reaves both made three - pointers. Tatum made a step - back jump shot. Dončić also made a three - pointer, and the Lakers maintained a slight lead in the middle of this quarter. In the latter part of the quarter, Dončić made a layup, and James made a cut - in layup. The two main scorers of the Lakers reached double - digits in points one after another. However, the Celtics' offensive firepower remained strong. Pritchard made a three - pointer, and Brown got a fast - break dunk. Tatum then made a step - back three - pointer and a fast - break dunk to score 5 consecutive points, and his personal score reached over 20. At halftime, the Celtics led 58 - 54.
After the intermission, the balance on the court was suddenly broken. The Celtics' double - play combination scored consecutive points at the start. White easily scored by attacking the rim, and Tatum made 2 out of 2 free throws after drawing a foul. At this time, the point difference widened to double digits. For the Lakers, their field - goal attempts were completely restricted by the opponents. James made a basic mistake, and Dončić failed to score many times under the opponents' tight defense. In the middle of the third quarter, Dončić made a layup and a step - back three - pointer in a row, but the Lakers' point deficit continued to widen. Tatum blocked Dončić's slow - motion layup, which brought cheers from the audience. In the latter part of the third quarter, Tatum continued his good form. He made a layup and a three - pointer in succession, and his personal score reached over 30. After three quarters, the Celtics led the Lakers 87 - 67 by a large margin.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers didn't give up. On the offensive end, their three main scorers took turns to shine. With 7 minutes left in this quarter, after Dončić and Reaves made three - pointers and James made a turnaround jump shot, the Lakers launched a comeback and once narrowed the point difference to 7 points. Then, James suddenly returned to the locker room for treatment due to a groin strain and later decided to withdraw from the game. But Dončić made another three - pointer and once narrowed the point difference to 4 points. Brown made a three - pointer to stop the Lakers' momentum. In the last three minutes of the game, the home team maintained a 7 - point lead. After that, the Lakers' comeback attempt failed. Finally, after the full - court battle, the Lakers lost to the Celtics 101 - 111, and their previous 8 - game win streak came to an end.
Starting line - ups of both teams: Lakers: LeBron James, Finney - Smith, Luka Dončić, Jarred Vanderbilt, Austin Reaves. Celtics: Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White.
