Here is what you need to know before the Lakers and Boston Celtics add another chapter to their rivalry.
1)
This game will mark the final time that Kobe Bryant faces off against the Lakers’ archrivals. In his last trip to Boston on Dec. 30, Bryant hit a dagger 3-pointer in the final two minutes to seal victory for the purple and gold.
2)
The Lakers are coming off another thrilling win, as they topped Miami in overtime on Wednesday. Jordan Clarkson led the way with 26 points, but it was his fellow 2014 draft classmate, Julius Randle, who provided the night’s clutch moment by scoring with 1.9 seconds left.
3)
As impressive as the Lakers’ last game was, Boston’s was even more so. The Celtics took down defending-champion Golden State, 109-106, on Friday, which ended the Warriors’ 54-game home winning streak. Isaiah Thomas was key in this, scoring 22 points in the second half after going scoreless in the first.
4)
Thomas has been a one-man offense lately, leading the Celtics in scoring for a franchise-record 15 straight games. The 5-foot-9 All-Star has scored 20-plus points every time during this surge, averaging 25.6 points with 2.5 3-pointers.
5)
Boston is expected to have Jae Crowder back in the starting lineup after missing nine of his last 10 games. The defensive standout has also been clutch on the other end, shooting 9-of-15 in the final two minutes of a one-possession game, which is second-best in the NBA.
6)
The Celtics have a unique relationship with 3-pointers. Their most accurate player from deep is Kelly Olynyk, who leads his team and all centers in 3-point percentage (40.9). Meanwhile, backup point guard Marcus Smart’s 24.7 percent clip is on a woefully historic pace that would be the worst since Charles Barkley hit just 21.6 percent in 1988-89.
7)
The Celtics are experts at creating extra possessions. Boston forces a league-high 16.5 turnovers, while also pulling down the third-most offensive rebounds (11.8).
8)
Boston scores the NBA’s fifth most points (105.6), despite shooting the fifth-worst field goal percentage (43.9). Those aforementioned extra possessions are key to this, as is the Celtics’ blazing pace, which ranks as the league’s third-fastest.
9)
The Celtics have been proficient at scoring around the rim. Thomas is fourth in the NBA in made layups (252), while Crowder and Avery Bradley are tied for fourth in percentage on layups (66.5).
10)
With Bryant’s retirement this season, neither team will have any players remaining from their meetings in the 2008 and 2010 NBA Finals. However, the Lakers still have someone with championship experience against Boston, as head coach Byron Scott helped Los Angeles defeat its rivals twice in three title series during the 1980s.
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