Lakers vs. Celtics – NBA Game Recap – January 28, 2023

BOSTON — — Lakers guard Patrick Beverly took a camera from the track in an effort to show referee Eric Lewis what everyone watching the replay already knew: lebron james was fouled on his missed layup at the end of regulation.

Instead of getting the call, Beverly drew a technical foul that gave Boston the lead to start overtime and the NBA-leading Celtics defeated Los Angeles 125-121 on Saturday night.

“The best player in the world can’t get a call. It’s unbelievable,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “As much as you try not to put it in the trade, it gets harder and harder.”

Jaylen Brown scored 37, completing a game-tying three-pointer with 4.1 seconds left in regulation and adding 11 more points in overtime to help the Celtics snap a three-game losing streak. Brown added nine rebounds, Jayson Tatum had 30 points and 11 rebounds, and Malcom Brogdon scored 15 of his 26 points in the second half of a lopsided game that had 19 lead changes, six in the fourth quarter, and 15 ties.

James had 41 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. But it was his missed layup late in regulation that infuriated him on the court and left him simmering in his locker afterward.

“I do not get it. I don’t understand what we’re doing, and I watch basketball every day,” said James, who sat with a towel over his head during overtime and barely looked up as he spoke from his locker. “I watch games every hit a single day and I don’t see it happening to anyone else. It’s weird.”

Anthony Davis He had 16 points with 10 rebounds, coming off the bench for the second straight game after missing 20 with a foot injury. Beverly scored 15, putting the Lakers ahead twice in the final minute of the quarter. But he also missed a foul shot that could have gotten him, and his layup gave the Celtics the lead to start overtime, and they never trailed again.

“At the end of the day, the players decided this game,” Brown said. “We made plays down the stretch; they made plays down the stretch. And I thought it was a good game. It was probably one of the biggest games of our recent Lakers-Celtics matchup. And I’m happy to have come out on top.”

With Celtics Hall of Famer Paul Pierce cheering on his former team from the sideline and the team’s broadcasters – Boston’s Cedric Maxwell and LA’s Mychal Thompson – talking trash on press row , the Celtics swept their longtime rivals in the two-game season series. There was a vocal contingent of Lakers fans making noise as the visitors opened up an 11-point lead in the third quarter. But the home crowd cheered them on as Tatum, who scored 15 in the third, including three 3-pointers, helped erase an 11-point deficit.

Beverly hit a 3-pointer to give the Lakers the lead with 52 seconds left and then, after Boston tied it, scored with a dunk that made it 104-102 with 19 seconds left. But after Brown missed a 3, Beverly missed one of two free throws; Al Horford missed a 3, and Brown scored on the rebound and was fouled late.

“That was just the craziness of the game,” Brown said. “It looked like they might have missed a call late in the game. But that’s just life. They’ll be fine.”

A game after missing a pair of free throws with 8 seconds left in a one-point game against the Knicks, Brown hit this one to tie it at 105 with 4.1 seconds left. The Celtics (36-15) have the best record in the NBA despite losing their previous three games.

ADVICES

James is 116 points away from tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA career points record of 38,387. … Pierce was wearing shamrock pajama pants. … Westbrook missed his first six shots as the crowd booed him for shooting, before finishing with 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting. … Brown picked up his fifth foul on the first possession of the fourth quarter. … The Celtics beat the Lakers 122-118 in LA on Dec. 13. Tatum scored 44 points. Davis had 37 points and 12 rebounds. James scored 33 with nine boards and nine assists. … The Celtics were off base Marcus Smart and old man Robert Williams IIIwho both have sprained ankles.

UNTIL THE NEXT

Lakers: At Brooklyn on Monday night.

Celtics: At Brooklyn on Wednesday night.

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