Los Angeles: Kyrie Irving scored 30 points and Marcus Smart had 16 in the Boston Celtics’ 120-107 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night in the latest edition of this storied NBA rivalry.
Marcus Morris had 16 points and seven rebounds, and Gordon Hayward added 15 points as the Celtics continued to gather momentum for the postseason with their third consecutive win on a four-game California trip that concludes Monday against the Clippers.
Boston was challenged while LeBron James put up his 80th career triple-double in a patchwork Lakers line-up missing three injured starters, but Irving hit a series of big shots down the stretch to seal it. After missing Wednesday’s win at Sacramento with a bruised thigh, Irving added seven rebounds and seven assists against his famous teammate on the championship-winning Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points, 13 rebounds and six assists and Milwaukee beat Charlotte 131-114 for their NBA-best 50th victory.
In Portland, Oregon, CJ McCollum scored 26 points and Portland snapped Phoenix’s three-game winning streak with a 127-120 win.
