Jaylen Brown delivered 32 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, and Payton Pritchard erupted for 30 points as the Boston Celtics dominated the Los Angeles Lakers 111–89 on Sunday night to complete a season sweep of the NBA’s most storied rivalry.
Boston extended its surge to three straight wins and eight in nine games, tightening the Eastern Conference race while reinforcing its championship credentials. Brown and Pritchard controlled the second half with 19 points apiece, and Pritchard’s step-back three with 3:24 remaining pushed the margin to blowout territory, prompting the Lakers to empty their bench amid scattered boos.
Luka Doncic scored 25 points and LeBron James added 20 for Los Angeles, reaching the 43,000-point milestone and appearing in his 1,600th regular-season game. James joined Hall of Famer Robert Parish as the only players in NBA history to reach that games-played mark. Austin Reaves contributed 15 points, but the Lakers were held to their second-lowest total of the season and dropped another home game against an elite contender.
Boston maintained control throughout the final two quarters, executing efficiently on both ends while capitalizing on Lakers frustration that led to three technical fouls. The Celtics had already beaten Los Angeles 126–105 in Boston in December — a game the Lakers played without both Doncic and James — and completed the sweep with a more complete defensive showing in the rematch.
The matchup also featured a tribute to Lakers legend Pat Riley, honored at halftime after the unveiling of his bronze statue outside the arena. Riley won six championship rings in Los Angeles, including four as head coach of the 1980s “Showtime” era.
The Lakers briefly had their preferred trio of Doncic, James, and Reaves together for just the 12th time this season, but lost backup center Jaxson Hayes to an ankle injury before halftime. Boston’s depth and perimeter shooting ultimately proved decisive in another emphatic chapter of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry.
