The Lakers’ LeBron James gets free for a dunk during the second half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ Austin Reaves, left, scores as the Boston Celtics’ Malcolm Brogdon defends during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ LeBron James handles the ball as the Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart defends during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown drives as the Lakers’ Russell Westbrook defends during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, shoots as the Lakers’ Anthony Davis defends during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, shoots as the Lakers’ Anthony Davis defends during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ LeBron James looks to drive as the Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart defends during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, right, and Marcus Smart high-five during the first half of their game against the Lakers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ Patrick Beverley, left, and Anthony Davis, center, and the Boston Celtics’ Blake Griffin look at a loose ball during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ LeBron James drives to the basket as the Boston Celtics’ Derrick White (9) defends during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis, left, reacts to teammate Lonnie Walker IV during the first half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown shoots as the Lakers’ Russell Westbrook, left, and LeBron James defend during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ Russell Westbrook passes the ball as the Boston Celtics’ Blake Griffin, right, and Jayson Tatum defend during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Lakers coach Darvin Ham and LeBron James watch from the sideline during the first half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics’ Malcolm Brogdon drives as the Lakers’ Austin Reaves defends during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ LeBron James goes up for a dunk during the first half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ LeBron James throws down a dunk during the first half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum celebrates after making a 3-point shot during the first half of their game against the Lakers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ Russell Westbrook shoots as the Boston Celtics’ Luke Kornet defends during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis is fouled by the Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Lakers coach Darvin Ham yells at referee Matt Myers during the first half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum puts up a shot as the Lakers’ Anthony Davis defends during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, left, drives as the Lakers’ Austin Reaves defends during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ LeBron James handles the ball during the first half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ LeBron James, left, passes the ball to Anthony Davis during the first half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, center, goes up for a shot as the Lakers’ LeBron James, left, and Troy Brown Jr. defend during the first half of their game against the Lakers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis looks to pass while under pressure from the Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis shows his frustration after no foul was called on a play during the first half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis blocks a shot by the Boston Celtics’ Blake Griffin during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, right, and the Lakers’ Troy Brown Jr. reach for a rebound during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ LeBron James is fouled by the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown during the second half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Lakers guard Russell Westbrook is fouled by the Boston Celtics’ Luke Kornet as he goes up for a shot during the second half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis dunks during the second half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis celebrates his dunk in front of the Boston Celtics’ Malcolm Brogdon, left, and Jaylen Brown on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis defends against the Boston Celtics’ Sam Hauser during the second half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ LeBron James goes up for a dunk during the second half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Lakers guard Russell Westbrook collides with the Boston Celtics’ Derrick White as he drives to the basket during the second half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham talks to Russell Westbrook during the second half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ LeBron James shoots a jumper over the Boston Celtics’ Grant Williams on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ Lonnie Walker IV is double-teamed by the Boston Celtics’ Luke Kornet, left, and Marcus Smart during the second half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ Russell Westbrook celebrates his dunk during their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Lakers guard Russell Westbrook celebrates after dunking during the second half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ Russell Westbrook and LeBron James celebrate during a run that gave them the lead during the second half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum drives as the Lakers’ Troy Brown Jr., center, and Anthony Davis, left, defend during the second half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ LeBron James gets to the rim for a layup during the second half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ LeBron James reacts after he was fouled during the first half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ Russell Westbrook, left, defends the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum during the second half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ LeBron James throws down a dunk during their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum drives as the Lakers’ LeBron James defends during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ LeBron James drives between the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, right, and Marcus Smart on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ LeBron James celebrates after drawing a foul during the second half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ LeBron James reacts after missing a shot while being fouled during the second half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ LeBron James reacts after missing a shot during the second half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Fans cheer as the Lakers’ LeBron James celebrates after drawing a foul during the second half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum drives past the Lakers’ Russell Westbrook during overtime on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ LeBron James shields the ball from the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum as Anthony Davis sets a screen on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum goes up for a shot over the Lakers’ LeBron James during the second half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum is fouled by the Lakers’ LeBron James as he gets to the basket during the second half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ Austin Reaves, left, LeBron James, center, and Anthony Davis react to a foul call during the second half of their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Lakers guard Russell Westbrook defends against the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown during the second half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum celebrates after a basket during the second half of their game against the Lakers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis leaves the court after their 122-118 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Boston Celtics’ Grant Williams, left, and Jayson Tatum celebrate after they rallied to beat the Lakers in overtime on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Lakers’ LeBron James and the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum embrace after a hard-fought overtime game on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Lakers’ Russell Westbrook, center, reacts to a basket made by a teammate during warmups before their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
LOS ANGELES — Think of all the Lakers ask of Anthony Davis, who has been the team’s leading scorer this season while routinely guarding two men at once on defense.
Still, they’ve needed more.
Two times in the last week, Davis could have won games at the free-throw line at the end of regulation. On Tuesday night against the Lakers’ most bitter rival, he had two chances to do it.
Davis, an 83% free-throw shooter, missed both with 28 seconds left.
“To me, the rest doesn’t matter,” he said later, wearing a vacant expression. “Had a chance to ice the game and missed both.”
During an often riveting evening when the Lakers pushed the Boston Celtics to the absolute brink, those misses stood out as Davis, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook seemed to give everything, but simply didn’t have enough left in the tank to win. They flipped a 20-point deficit to a 13-point lead with just under four minutes left in regulation, but the Celtics rallied to escape with a 122-118 overtime victory that pushed their league-leading record to 22-7 and helped them avoid their first three-game losing streak.
The Lakers (11-16) might be better than their record shows – a lot better, as the 18-0 run they pulled off between the third and fourth quarters would seem to indicate. But to do it, Coach Darvin Ham had to ride a lineup of his Big Three and Troy Brown Jr. and Austin Reaves for every minute of the final frame, and eventually, their legs gave out.
James scored 33 points with nine rebounds and nine assists, while Westbrook added 20 points and 14 rebounds, helping the undersized Lakers show some fight against the bigger, more physical Celtics.
With 37 points and 12 rebounds, Davis was a huge reason that the Lakers were ever in position to win at all. But he kicked himself again for not being able to close after missing a similar opportunity on Friday in Philadelphia. He lingered afterward in the locker room, staring blankly while he iced his knees.
James, also grim in his post-game press conference, said he could understand Davis stewing afterward.
“If you go up and miss two free throws in a big game like that and then you come to the locker room and guy is laughing and joking, then you would be questioning what kind of teammate you got,” he said. “So, I know who I’m rocking with every single night. So, I’m absolutely ok with the way he’s feeling. Got a couple of days off. Hopefully he leaves it in here.”
Jayson Tatum played hero for the Celtics, scoring 44 points and hitting his biggest shot over James with 17 seconds left in regulation to tie the score. James couldn’t hit a tough fadeaway in the final seconds of regulation to win it, and the dead-legged Lakers were forced to play an extra period.
Unlike in Philadelphia, the Lakers managed to score the first four points of overtime thanks to Westbrook, who attacked a matchup with Boston center Luke Kornet. But as a team, they were just 4 for 10 in the extra period, and they missed all five of their 3-point looks.
Ham said he didn’t want to mess with the rhythm of his group, which had swung a 32-5 advantage across a 10-minute span of the game. In retrospect, Ham said he could have used his timeouts more strategically to give that lineup rest.
None of the Lakers complained about getting tired. But they looked it.
“We’re coming down and we missed a lot of shots,” Davis said. “Obviously, we were trying to get to our money-maker pick-and-roll with me, Russ, me and Bron, whatever. But (Boston) came down and executed their plays in transition.”
For a breathtaking 6:17 stretch, you could not have guessed, just by watching, which team on the court had the NBA’s best record. The Lakers rode their longest unanswered run of the season (18-0), flipping the makings of a blowout into a game they looked like they would win.
It was a performance powered by the two-man offense of James and Davis, running pick-and-rolls to well-oiled perfection, especially during the second half. But run-outs were the biggest key: The Lakers had 26 fast-break points, several of which James punctuated with sky-scraping dunks – looking very youthful despite his 37 years.
It was also the sequence when the Lakers’ defense looked its best: The Celtics had 14 turnovers, which the Lakers punished for 23 points. Of note, Westbrook had four blocked shots.
“It got us back into the game, it got us the lead, and a commanding lead down the stretch,” Ham said, defending his decision to ride his chosen five out. “But at the end of the day, you just gotta go with your gut, man, and live with the results. And that’s what I’m doing.”
Fresh off a 20-point loss to the Clippers the night before, the Celtics came out gunning – no one more than Tatum, who had been subpar in the previous two games. With him at the lead, Boston made 10 of its first 15 shots from behind the arc, opening as much as a 20-point lead on their hosts.
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In many ways, the Lakers simply looked outgunned, giving up height and weight aplenty in the backcourt. Tatum and Marcus Smart bulldozed their way through Dennis Schrӧder and Patrick Beverley – or even cruised by them with superior speed. While Boston was playing without two key big men (Al Horford and Robert Williams), they still managed a 15-8 rebounding advantage in the first quarter.
Unsurprisingly, the Lakers looked headed for a long path ahead when they found themselves down 37-24 at the end of the first quarter. Ceding an early lead, Ham suggested, was the team’s biggest mistake.
“What you saw in the second half, us digging in defensively, running, getting looks, attacking the paint, that’s what I want our identity to be: just a tough, physical, smash-mouth basketball team who gets stops,” he said. “And we just can’t keep spotting these leads. Because if we play that way out the gate, who knows? Maybe our starters get to rest the last six minutes of the game.”
The Lakers have two days off before a Friday matchup with the Denver Nuggets. While they’ve lost four of their previous five games, Ham suggested the close results against Philadelphia and Boston could be encouraging that the Lakers have been in position to win tight games against strong opponents.
James didn’t see it the same way. Asked what almost beating the Celtics told him about his own team, he responded flatly.
“Nothing. That we lost,” he said. “You talking to the wrong guy talking about an ‘almost win.’”
LeBron on what it says about the Lakers that they’ve gotten close to beating the 76ers and Celtics:
“Nothing. That we lost. You’re talking to the wrong guy talking about ‘almost win.’ No. We lost.” pic.twitter.com/eA1VV7rJbM
LeBron scored 20 of his 33 PTS in the second half to lead the Lakers back into it as he and AD battled Jayson Tatum in a OT scoring duel that saw each of them score 30+ PTS! pic.twitter.com/a9AtQAcpIZ
37 PTS | 12 REB@AntDavis23 was a force for the Lakers, going off for another 30-point double-double as he and LeBron battled Jayson Tatum in a OT THRILLER! pic.twitter.com/MzPw11bNmF
“It sucks, man. I’m so disappointed that we didn’t close that out. But we’ll get better from it.” Darvin Ham on tonight’s loss. pic.twitter.com/hTgwK4Lzzc
