#celtics

#celtics

The Celtics have won 39 out of the 53 games, or 73.6%, in which they've been favored. They average 114.0 points per game, slightly lower than their recent performance of 110.6 points in the last 10 games.

All of the current Lakers realized that playing against the Boston Celtics on national television really was more than just one of the 82 games on the NBA schedule. It was crystallized even more because iconic former Lakers coach Pat Riley sat courtside after a celebration for the unveiling of his statue outside on the Star Plaza at Crypto.com Arena. He was the first Lakers coach to beat the hated Celtics for an NBA championship after eight failed attempts.

It's always a special atmosphere when these two teams meet, but tonight's game at Chase Center feels particularly heavy for both sides. The Celtics are coming into the second half of the season looking like a legitimate juggernaut, holding onto the second seed in the East despite the massive hole left by Jayson Tatum's absence. Jaylen Brown has stepped into that primary role and has been one of the season's best storylines. He's playing with a level of aggression and efficiency that has completely shifted the ceiling for this Boston squad.

"To me, the last six minutes of the game, he was just a great playmaker," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. "He had the offensive rebounds, he made plays in the seam, he was great at the point of attack defensively."

The advantages: the speed we can play with on the offensive end, the dribble-drive, the pace that we can create. Defensively we can pressure a little bit more.

A game recap of Wednesday's 131-95 victory, published on Celtics.com and NBA.com, praised Boston's leading scorers Payton Pritchard and Derrick White, in that order.

By moving Georges Niang's $8.2 million contract off their books, the Celtics reduced their tax penalties dramatically from $73.1 million to $30.4 million.