One night later, Boston players all but shrugged their shoulders after falling to the Lakers 117-96 on the second leg of a back-to-back. Kristaps Porziņģis, who has been critical of the Celtics after their worst games recently, sounded ready to dump the latest poor result into the nearest trash can and forget about it for good.

Playing their fifth game in seven nights, the Celtics were run off the Crypto.com Arena court by LeBron James and Co., losing 117-96. It was the most lopsided defeat of the season for Boston, which came in riding a two-game win streak. The Celtics dropped to 31-14 on the season and 10-9 in their last 19 games.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, center, shoots as Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, left, and guard Derrick White defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) AP

Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Jayson Tatum added 24 and the Boston Celtics rallied past the Los Angeles Clippers 117-113 in overtime on Wednesday night when both teams were missing key players. Derrick White added 20 points and Sam Hauser had 15,

The Boston Celtics got key contributions from the bench guys as they narrowly best the Los Angeles Clippers 117-113 in overtime.