LeBron James downplays Lakers’ biggest win over Celtics since 2007

LOS ANGELES-The Lakers overwhelmed the Celtics right from the tipoff, draining 3-pointers while the visitors never looked comfortable. While Los Angeles has endured its ups and downs, the Lakers clearly played the better game Thursday over the Celtics.

The final score was a score of 117-96 in favor of the Lakers. The 21-point victory also serves as their largest margin of victory over the C’s since Feb. 3, 2007. Back then, the Lakers beat the Celtics 122-96 in Los Angeles to drop the C’s to 13-41. In the present, the Lakers downed the reigning champs.

Despite the feel-good win, Lakers star LeBron James downplayed the impact of a game. Even before the reporter got their full question, James quickly shot down any implication it was bigger than just a win.

“No,” said James. “No. It certainly doesn’t. I could tell by the enthusiasm in your voice and I have heard that question far too many times in my career. It’s a game. They hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy. We try to strive to get there. We just want to continue to work our habits, work our game. “

The Lakers clearly frustrated the Celtics right from Tipoff. They were also 11-for-20 on 3-pointers, compared to the Celtics’ 6-for-20 mark at halftime. Boston attempted a comeback, cutting a 21-point lead to 12 early in the third quarter. That’s when the Lakers locked down defensively as the Celtics went scoreless for a stretch that lasted 4:34 in the third, all but extinguishing their hopes.

The C’s just didn’t have the juice or the legs to put together a real comeback attempt afterwards. Late in the fourth quarter, C’s coach Joe Mazzulla emptied his bench. Boston also played its fifth game in seven nights, which included a cross-country flight. The C’s aren’t using that as an excuse, but it also partially explained why the reigning champs looked flat against their rivals. The Celtics shot 38.5% from the field Thursday and put up 96 points, their second-lowest of the season.

“I’m not worried, but it’s part of just navigating the year,” Jaylen Brown said. “Anything can happen. We’ve just got to finish through the All-Star break strong and then be ready to go along heading into the playoffs and just continue to stay with it, stay the course because I feel like we’re still the best keep out there. We just have to put it all together. “

The Celtics are also mirrored in an inconsistent stretch that is quickly creeping into a two-month long malaise. The C’s were just 8-6 in December—they fell to 7-5 in January after Thursday’s loss. There have been various issues during this stretch, whether it has been fourth quarter execution, effort issues or otherwise. The Lakers, on the flip side, are getting a win over their rivals as they have dealt with their own game-to-game struggles.

One game doesn’t trend either way, as James was quick to point out. It’s still only late January, which means the NBA playoffs aren’t for another three months, as a lot will change for both teams. All the C’s can do now is look to the next game after another loss.

“Each game presents its own opportunities,” Brown said. “It has been a hard month in January for us. We just have to continue to stay the course. We can’t really make excuses for why we’ve dropped games. We probably dropped some games we should have won. But at this time of year, we just have to put our best foot forward. “

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