Celtics 107, Lakers 100
LOS ANGELES -- Isaiah Thomas scored 26 points and Jae Crowder added 22 more, leading the Boston Celtics to a 107-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Sunday night.
Boston (45-32) clinched a playoff berth with the win.
Evan Turner contributed 17 points for the Celtics, who tied the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Boston and Atlanta are only a half-game ahead of the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat.
Boston's Amir Johnson had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Celtics guard Avery Bradley was allowed to miss the game for personal reasons.
Kobe Bryant scored 34 points on 11-of-28 shooting, hitting four 3-pointers, to pace the Lakers (16-60), who have dropped five of their last six contests. Julius Randle contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Jordan Clarkson had 17 points.
After Lakers forward Ryan Kelly converted a jumper to knot the score at 77 apiece to open the fourth quarter, the Celtics went on a 16-5 tear for a 93-82 lead, capped by a 3-pointer by Turner midway through the period.
The Lakers cut the gap to 99-93 on a fadeaway by Bryant with 2:26 left in the contest. Boston pushed the lead back to double digits before a Bryant bucket in the lane and a three-point play by Randle sliced the margin to 104-100 with 27.9 seconds remaining.
However, a foul shot by Turner and two more by Crowder sealed it for Boston, which has won six of its last eight.
Bryant's 3-pointer gave the Lakers their first lead at 66-65. Russell's bucket made it a three-point advantage, but the Celtics went up 77-75 heading into the final quarter.
Thomas scored 13 of his 21 first-half points in the second quarter as Boston built a 57-48 edge at the half. Boston shot 46.7 percent to 41.9 percent for Los Angeles in the first half. For the game, the Celtics made 45.1 percent of their shots to 41.1 percent for the Lakers.
NOTES: After Boston's stunning win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday, a result that snapped the defending champions' 54-game home winning streak, Celtics coach Brad Stevens didn't believe his club would suffer from overconfidence against the lowly Lakers. "We have to play well to win," Stevens said before Sunday game. "It doesn't matter who we're playing, it doesn't matter where we're playing. We were fortunate to win that game (Friday). And L.A. beat us last time, and L.A. outplayed us last time." The Lakers defeated the Celtics 112-104 on Dec. 30 in Boston. ... Boston now leads the all-time series 156-128. ... The Lakers will be the visiting team Tuesday when they play the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. The Celtics host the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday.