unregreatful decision. the all-time player for Boston Celtics has declined the Los Angeles Lakers request
Boston—LLeBron James had a straightforward response when asked what he would tell his teammates before crucial games against the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks following the Los Angeles Lakers’ Tuesday loss in Atlanta.
James advised, “Just go out and do your job.”
I got the message.
Five hours prior to tipoff, James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) and Anthony Davis (bilateral Achilles tendinopathy and left hip spasm) were ruled out, and the undermanned Lakers surprised the full-strength Celtics on Thursday night, defeating them 113-105 at TD Garden.
The Lakers’ triumph was possibly their best of the entire campaign.
The NBA-best Celtics finished 37-11 and 22-2 at home. The Celtics were going to be overwhelming favorites even in the event that James and Davis were available. Absent logic, the mediocre Lakers had no chance.
However, the Lakers pulled off the incredible upset thanks to a season-high 32 points from Austin Reaves (including a career-high seven 3-pointers), a nearly triple-double from D’Angelo Russell (16 points, eight rebounds, and a season-high 14 assists), a strong effort from their remaining frontcourt players, and a scorching 19 of 36 (52.8 percent) 3-point shooting performance.
Reaves remarked, “We’re all talented players.” “And here’s your chance to showcase your abilities to the world.”. We decided that the least we could do was go out there, play as hard as we could, and accept the outcome when we got together before the game.
Anthony Davis, the Celtics-Lakers game deviates from the plan
Considering the Lakers’ previous two performances, the results were unexpected. They were destroyed in Houston when James and Davis were available (although Davis was limited in the second half by hip spasms), and they were destroyed in Atlanta when James was the only player left. James and Davis played on Christmas Day, but they were defeated by the Celtics at home by a score of eleven points.
This season’s first game that both stars missed together was this one. They took part in the drills on Thursday before the medical personnel ruled them out. Midday brought expectations of a Celtics rout, wiping out the buzz surrounding the nationally televised game.
However, the Lakers used a more liberated offensive approach without their two offensive focal points, with a steady diet of pick-and-rolls by Reaves and Russell that transition into fast-hitting plays on the other side of the floor. After the first quarter, the Lakers were behind just once. In the fourth quarter, the Celtics never got any closer than seven points.
