Jayson Tatum and the NBA-leading Boston Celtics on Tuesday thwarted a furious late rally by the Los Angeles Lakers to win 122-118 in overtime and snap a two-game skid.
The Celtics bounced back from defeats to the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers, but they needed every ounce of energy and will to avoid their first three-game losing streak this season.
“Oh, man, last game of the road trip, we’ve been going for, like, 13 days, second night of a back-to-back, but we found a way,” Tatum said.
Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA Today
“We needed that,” added Tatum, whose 44 points included a game-tying turnaround jumper over LeBron James that sent the contest to overtime.
Jaylen Brown added 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, while Marcus Smart scored 18 points for the Celtics, who appeared as if they were heading to victory when they took a 20-point lead on Tatum’s floater with 6 minutes, 57 seconds left in the third quarter.
However, the Lakers, with 37 points from Anthony Davis and 33 from James, roared back, putting together an 18-0 run from late in the third that was capped by a three-pointer from James that put Los Angeles up by four with 8 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers pushed their lead to 13 points before the weary Celtics were able to respond.
Russell Westbrook put the Lakers up by four with two quick baskets to open overtime, but the Celtics scored on four straight possessions to take the lead for good.
“It was big. [It] showed the character of our team,” Tatum said of the win, which pushed Boston’s league-best record to 22-7.
Elsewhere, the Milwaukee Bucks stayed on the Celtics’ heels atop the Eastern Conference, improving to 20-7 with a 128-111 victory over reigning champions Golden State.
Joel Embiid scored 31 points and James Harden and Tobias Harris added 21 apiece as the Philadelphia 76ers thumped the Sacramento Kings 123-103 at home.
The Utah Jazz ended the New Orleans Pelicans’ seven-game win streak, downing the Western Conference leaders 121-100, while the Houston Rockets handed the reeling Phoenix Suns a fifth straight defeat with a score of 111-97.
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