The Lakers (34-21) will take on the Boston Celtics (36-19) on Sunday as they look to split the season series against their arch rivals. They will also be honoring Pat Riley by unveiling his statue outside Crypto.com Arena.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics
When: 3:30 p.m. PT, Feb. 22
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: NBC, Peacock
It’s only right that the Lakers will face the Celtics at home on the day that they immortalize Pat Riley with a statue. It wouldn’t make sense to face any other opponent because the Celtics play such a huge role in Riley’s historic legacy. So there’s indeed more pressure for the Lakers to win this one.
The Celtics team stepping onto the court at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday is, unfortunately, a very good one. Despite their best player, Jayson Tatum, being out since the start of the season, they’re sitting nicely in second place in the Eastern Conference. This says a lot about how well-built their roster is and how much weaker the Eastern Conference is than the Western Conference.
The Lakers should expect a hard-fought game. The Celtics are a team with a top-two offense and top-eight defense. They attempt the third most 3-pointers, so expect a ton of shots from beyond the arc, specifically from Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. The Lakers’ perimeter defense will have to be ready. It’ll be interesting to see if they switch from the zone defense coverage they’ve been employing as of late.
In the last meeting between these two teams when the Lakers were blown out by the C’s, Los Angeles didn’t have Luka Dončić, LeBron James or Marcus Smart. That certainly won’t be the case on Sunday. Also note that Boston is one of the slowest-paced teams in the league, so it would be great if L.A. takes advantage of that.
Ultimately though, the Lakers will have to outplay the Celtics’ well-oiled system on both ends of the court. This means their superstars and role players all have to step up. It’s frankly unacceptable to lose to the Celtics on the day the organization honors Pat Riley, so this is a must-win game.
Let’s see if this team shows some pride and beats the Celtics on Sunday.
Notes and Updates
- The Lakers’ injury report stays clean with only Bronny James Jr. and Adou Thiero unavailable as both are currently playing for the South Bay Lakers.
- Same goes for the Celtics’ report, which only indicates Jayson Tatum (Achilles tear) as out.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.