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LeBron James (40) and Anthony Davis (31) combined to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 117-96 thumping of the defending champion Boston Celtics on Thursday. In the first meeting of the season between the two iconic rivals who have won 35 NBA championships between them, the Lakers produced a superb all-round display to outclass the visiting Celtics lineup.
James finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists while Davis weighed in with 24 points. Point guard Austin Reaves added 23 points, a haul that included four three-pointers. Kristaps Porzingis led the Boston scoring with 22 points while Jayson Tatum was restricted to 16 after shooting 5-of-12 from the field.
The Lakers were always in control after outscoring Boston 34-23 in the first quarter and building a 19-point cushion at half-time that they never looked like surrendering. The Lakers led by as much as 28 points in the fourth quarter, and James looked on approvingly as son Bronny was brought on by head coach J.J. Redick for the closing minutes. The win improved the Lakers' season record to 24-18, leaving the Los Angeles club fifth in the Western Conference.
Boston remain second in the Eastern Conference on 31-14. In other games around the NBA on Thursday, Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City suffered only their third home defeat of the season in a 121-115 reverse to the Dallas Mavericks. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who rattled in a career-best 54 points a day earlier, had another solid night with 31 points while teammate Jalen Williams added 33. But a dogged Dallas performance, with Spencer Dinwiddie scoring 28 points and Kyrie Irving 24, got the visitors over the line.
