Lakers News: An Old Enemy Talks Smack After Boston Wins In OT
Your Los Angeles Lakers almost stole a victory from the visiting Boston Celtics, who had led by as much as 20 points before letting L.A. claw its way back into the bout. Eventually, the Lakers' luck ran out, and Los Angeles fell 122-118 in overtime.
Hall of Fame former Boston small forward Paul Pierce, who won Finals MVP honors as his Celtics beat the Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals, took in the game from a box suite with Rachel Nichols and some of their other Showtime broadcasting compatriots (presumably Kevin Garnett was hanging around somewhere?).
A buoyant Pierce was not shy about sharing his feelings following his team's win.
"That's game baby, that's game," Pierce, ironically an L.A. native, chuckled from the comfort of his box seats. "Hey LeBron, that's game," he said, mockingly imitating LeBron's signature celebratory "The Silencer" move.
Pierce must be a happy camper. After losing the 2022 NBA Finals in six games to the Golden State Warriors and then losing their head coach to off-the-court misbehavior, his Celtics have managed to look like one of the two best teams in the league this season thus far, along with the Milwaukee Bucks. As of this writing, Boston boasts a league-best 22-7 record, thanks in large part to the All-NBA two-way play of stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Key role players like Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, and Al Horford (the latter of whom was out against L.A. last night) have all looked pretty terrific, too. And Boston's starting center, Robert Williams III, hasn't even suited up yet this year!
In 43:55, Tatum scored 44 points on 15-of-29 shooting from the floor (5-of-10 from three) and 9-of-10 shooting from the free throw line, pulled down nine rebounds, dished out six assists and blocked one shot. Brown poured in 25 points on 10-of-21 shooting (3-of-7 from long range) from the floor, 15 rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
