Lakers: Takeaways From LA's Win Over Celtics, LeBron Matches Tatum, New Westbrook & More

The Lakers got back in the win column and back to over .500 with a 117-102 win over the Boston Celtics Tuesday night. Here are four key takeaways from LA's most complete win of the season.

LeBron James Reminded Everyone He’s Still ‘The King’

Jason Tatum lit up the Lakers early, scoring Boston’s first 14 points and finishing with a game-high 34 points. However, LeBron James reminded everyone that even at age 37, in his nineteenth season, he’s still undoubtedly one of the best basketball players in the world. James outscored Tatum 16-14 in the first quarter, going 6-for-7 from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. The four-time MVP finished the night with a team-high 30 points along with four rebounds and five assists.

Anthony Davis Brought it in the Second Half

Before the game, Charles Barkley on TNT’s Inside The NBA telecast, went off on Anthony Davis while defending Franke Vogel and Russell Westbrook. “In my opinion, I blame Anthony Davis.” Barkley said. “Anthony Davis, you know I like you as a person, but you ain’t doing what you’re supposed to do. You’re 27 years old. You’re supposed to be in your prime. You’re supposed to be one of the five best players in the world. Up there with Giannis, Kevin Durant, and those guys. And you ain’t holding up your end of the bargain. So now I hear y’all are going to fire the head coach. That’s total B.S., man. Now I feel better.” AD didn’t do much to prove him wrong in the first half. The 27-year-old was certainly not ‘holding up his end of the bargain’, after scoring seven points on just five shots and getting embarrassingly posterized by Celtics Center, Robert Williams. Davis responded in the second half, scoring 10 of his 17 points and snaring nine of his 16 rebounds. The superstar was noticeably more assertive down low after the break, helping the Lakers score 66 points in the paint and a finish with a 51-34 advantage on the glass.

Lakers Defense was Clicking

The Lakers gave up 33 first quarter points, thanks Tatum's hot start, but LA’s defense answered the bell, limiting Boston to 23 points per quarter the rest of the way. The Purple and Gold especially put the clamps down in the third quarter, where they put forth one of their best defensive efforts of the season, holding Boston to just 20 points during that stretch. They held Boston to 43.9% shooting (36-for-82) and 30.3% (10-for-33) from the 3P.

The Brodie Continues to Ball Out

After getting off to a slow start, Russell Westbrook put together another All-Star level performance. Westbrook scored 24 points along with eleven assists and three rebounds on an efficient 9-for-16 shooting (56%). Over his last eight games, the former MVP is averaging 23.5 points, 8.9 assists, 6.9 rebounds on 50% shooting with the Purple and Gold going 5-3 in that stretch.

We break down the Lakers 117-102 win over the Celtics and give you our four biggest takeaways on the Lakers 24/8 YouTube Channel!

WATCH

Have you subscribed to the Lakers 24/8 YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest LakeShow news, rumors, live streams, and more!