Jayson Tatum leads Celtics to blowout victory over Lakers
The Boston Celtics handed the Los Angeles Lakers its worst loss of the season and former Duke basketball star Jayson Tatum led the way.
The shine of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers rivalry lost a bit of prestige in recent years but with both teams at the top of their respective conferences, the games are more intense and important.
Monday night the two teams met in Boston for the first time this season and the Celtics came on top, 139-107, as it was the worst loss of the season for the Lakers.
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Boston was led by Jayson Tatum who went for a game-high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting, 5-of-8 from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 from the free throw line.
Tatum also had five rebounds, three assists, and a steal with a team-leading +32 +/- rating.
On the season, Tatum only trails Kemba Walker for the team lead in points as the former Blue Devil is averaging 21.5 points, 6,9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 43.4 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent from 3-point range.
Quinn Cook also saw some minutes in the blowout on Monday night for the Lakers as the former National Champion scored four points in five minutes on 1-of-4 shooting and 1-of-3 from the charity stripe.
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Cook’s lone made field goal was a 3-pointer and he also accounted for two rebounds.
The victory improved the Celtics to 28-14 on the season while the Lakers dropped to 34-9.
Boston is currently the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Milwaukee Bucks by nine and a half games, and the Celtics are a half game behind the Toronto Raptors for first place in the Atlantic Division.
Los Angeles is the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, leading its rival Clippers by three and a half games.
The Celtics remain home to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, January 22 while the Lakers continue its road trip in Madison Square Garden to face the lowly New York Knicks on Wednesday night.