Celtics at Lakers
The Boston Celtics broke out of a funk when the Los Angeles Lakers paid a visit in January and they have't slowed down since. The Lakers seek payback and eye a fifth consecutive victory of their own when the teams renew their storied rivalry Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles.
The Celtics had dropped three in a row and six of eight heading into a Jan. 20 marchup with the Lakers, but responded with a resounding 139-107 win, igniting their current 12-2 stretch. Los Angeles has bounced back just fine and it burst back into action following the All-Star break with a 117-105 win over Memphis at home Friday night, riding 28 points and seven blocks by Anthony Davis. "Another Defensive Player of the Year-type of night from Anthony," coach Frank Vogel told reporters. "He's the best defender in the league from a versatility standpoint." Davis was just returning from a five-game layoff due to an injury in the visit to Boston, finishing that game with only nine points on 3-of-7 shooting.
TIME: 3:30 p.m. ET. TV: ABC, TSN4
ABOUT THE CELTICS (39-16): Boston's 127-117 win at Minnesota on Friday came without All-Star point guard Kemba Walker, who recently received an injection in his ailing knee and had it drained. Gordon Hayward picked up plenty of the slack with 29 points while Daniel Theis broke out for career highs of 25 points and 16 rebounds. "The strength of our team is just the amount of guys that can go off at any point in time, especially when you're making the right plays and getting easy looks," Hayward told reporters. "We're too talented. We just need to continue to do that."
ABOUT THE LAKERS (42-12): Davis' effort Friday night, which also included 13 rebounds, was made even more special due to the fact that he suffered a bruised calf early in the contest that limited him to 31 minutes. "The leg felt good enough for me to go out and give it a try," he told the media. "I just wanted to be on the floor to help the guys." LeBron James, who was held to 15 points in the earlier loss to the Celtics, scored 32 points against the Grizzlies.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Celtics SF Jayson Tatum scored 28 points Friday and is averaging 28.3 in February.
2. Lakers PG Avery Bradley averages 8.7 points but has reached double digits in five consecutive contests.
3. Boston won 120-107 in its last road game against Los Angeles on March 9, 2019.