It’s without question the Boston Celtics’ worst loss of the season. In a game where they were a 15-point favorite at home against the rival Los Angeles Lakers, who played without stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Celtics flopped.
The Lakers came into Boston and stole the show from the get-go en route to a 114-105 victory on Thursday, February 1. The loss was the third in Boston’s last five home games after opening the season with a record-setting 20 straight wins at TD Garden. After the game, Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis took the embarrassing loss in stride.
Kristaps Porzingis Downplays Ugly Loss to Lakers
Despite the loss, the Celtics still own the best record in the NBA at 37-12. They own a 4.5-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks. Still, the loss to the Lakers triggered plenty of talk, especially after losing at home to the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers in the last two weeks after going perfect there all season.
While the Nuggets and Clippers are the top two teams in the Western Conference, the Lakers are anything but. LA entered the game with a losing record but outplayed Boston for 48 minutes.
While disappointed with the loss, Porzingis said it was just that — a February loss.
“This is the NBA. This is almost like a script,” Porzingis said postgame, per Jay King of The Athletic. “You’re going to lose this type of game and fans are going to think it’s the end of the world, and we lost to the Lakers without AD and LeBron, like, end of the season. Boom. Done.
“But it’s just a loss. It’s just a loss which we have to learn from. And which we will. We’re going to get a couple days rest, which I think a lot of guys especially will be really useful for, and we bounce back hungry and full energy.”
Porzingis: ‘You Learn More From Your Losses’
“You win or you learn.”
KP after loss to Lakers
In what has become a pattern, the Celtics lost from the 3-point line. Yes, they were careless with the ball with 15 turnovers, but they shot just 33% from long range, making just 16 of 48 shots. Meanwhile, the Lakers hit 19 of their 36 3-pointers for a 52% clip.
The Celtics relied too much on the long-range bombs. They got to the free-throw line just seven times, going 7-for-7 from the line. Porzingis and Tatum were the only two starters to get the line, both going 2-for-2.
The Lakers went to the foul line 26 times, making 19 of their shots.
Despite the ugly performance, Porzingis said the Celtics will make the most of the loss.
“This quote always works for me — you win or you learn,” Porzingis said postgame. “You learn more from your losses, 100 percent.
“We always try to look at ourselves in the mirror even if we won, like what are the things we need to clean up and what do we need to do better? It still doesn’t hit the same as when you actually get a loss. You definitely learn more from your losses, and this is healthy for us.”
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Kristaps Porzingis Puts Celtics’ Ugly Loss to Lakers in Perspective