The Lakers drew first blood. But the Celtics came away with the knockout blow. After whittling Boston's lead to a two-possession game with five minutes remaining, it was the poise of the Celtics that surfaced as they used a late offensive flurry to catapult them to a 109-96 victory over the Lakers Sunday at Staples Center.
In the victory, Paul Pierce led the Celtics (36-11) with 32 points. Ray Allen added 21, Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 13 rebounds and Rajon Rondo tallied 10 points and 16 assists.
After having their lead trimmed to 91-87 with 5:19 to go, the Celtics leaned on a balanced effort. It was Allen's jumpers. It was Glen Davis' key 3-point play when he muscled through Andrew Bynum. It was Rondo controlling the pace of the game. And it was Garnett's toughness, especially coming back from a Pau Gasol elbow that opened up a bloody gash on his head in the second quarter. That four-point deficit was the closest the Lakers would get. In a four-minute span, the Celtics blitzkrieged the Lakers with a 16-2 run to go up 105-91 with 1:29 left.
Even Kobe Bryant, who had a game-high 41 points, couldn't do anything about it. He tried to, however. During Boston's run, Bryant fired 10 straight shots for the Lakers, making five.
"I didn't think anyone else wanted the ball," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said
Elsewhere, Miami beat OKC and Orlando had the better of Cleveland.