Lakers-Celtics NBA clash accomplishes feat not seen since 2000

The recent clash between perennial rivals the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics proved anticlimactic in the end. The matchup was preceded by the unveiling of Pat Riley’s statue, who proclaimed to his former team that it was time to kick some “Boson a**”

However, the script was flipped when Jaylen Brown ran the show for a disastrous 111-89 loss for the Lakers, even if the sheer historic value of this rivalry was also evidenced by the number of people who watched the game on NBC streams. The network giants announced that the Lakers-Celtics game averaged around 5.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched regular-season Sunday night game since 2000, per a post on X by ClutchPoints.

That may make the performance even more difficult to digest for fans. Before tip-off, the Lakers unveiled a nearly eight-foot bronze statue of legendary coach Pat Riley outside Crypto.com Arena, celebrating the architect of the “Showtime” era who brought four championships to the city as a head coach.

The pre-game festivities were supposed to set the tone for a heavyweight clash against their most bitter, historic rivals. Instead, the Lakers came out completely flat despite all three of their Big-3 fit and firing.

Jaylen Brown was the tip of the spear, orchestrating the offense with a masterclass 32-point, eight-rebound, and seven-assist performance. However, it was reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard who served as the ultimate dagger.

Pritchard poured in 30 points off the bench, knocking down six 3-pointers and dishing out eight assists. The duo combined for 38 points in the second half alone, burying the Lakers with a barrage of step-back jumpers and aggressive drives.

Despite the dysfunction around him, James officially became the first player in NBA history to reach 43,000 career regular-season points, achieving the feat on a third-quarter layup. Furthermore, he logged his 1,600th regular-season appearance, tying Celtics legend Robert Parish for the second-most games played in league history.

Luka Doncic led the team with 25 points but struggled with his mid-range efficiency, missing five of his six long two-point attempts, while Austin Reaves (15 points) completely vanished in the second half, attempting just 10 total shots on the night, adding 15 points.

The post Lakers-Celtics NBA clash accomplishes feat not seen since 2000 appeared first on ClutchPoints.