In Monday’s 126-115 victory over the Lakers, the Celtics were led by Kristaps Porzingis’s 28 points and 11 rebounds. Each of the five starting players contributed at least 18 points.

Boston, which has won 12 of their last 14 games, is riding a three-game winning streak thanks to 25 points from Jayson Tatum, 19 from Jaylen Brown, and 18 from Derrick White, who also had 11 assists.

The truth is that if we all try to run at the same speed, eventually one of us will get a chance. Jrue Holiday, who contributed 18 points and seven assists, expressed his belief that the team’s performance is enhanced when there is a certain level of energy. He explained that when players know they can get the ball by running to their spots and lanes, it motivates them to play even harder.

Despite a 40-point performance from Anthony Davis and 13 boards from LeBron James, the Lakers have lost six of their last eight games following their inaugural In-Season Tournament victory. James finished with 16 points, nine boards, and eight assists.

Neither of us is healthy at the moment, in my opinion. “Until we keep improving and maintaining our habits, I don’t think we’re at the level where we want to compete against the top teams,” James stated. “We are still developing our strategy for each game, but we are confident that we will improve.”

This was the third Christmas Day meeting between the league’s two most legendary teams. Both the 1951 Boston Celtics and the 2008 Los Angeles Lakers were crowned champions in their respective cities.

With a 12-point run that Brown capped with a 3-pointer, the Celtics cruised past the Lakers’ starting lineup and built an 18-point lead in the first quarter.

After falling behind for the first time in the game early in the third quarter due to a dunk by Jarred Vanderbilt, Boston scored seven consecutive points to take the lead back.

No matter how many times Davis scored in a regular season game—40—Boston was able to hold Los Angeles at arm’s length in the fourth quarter.

Both the first and fourth quarters saw every Boston starter score four or more points. The win could have been even more resounding if, as Porzingis pointed out, the team had shot better from beyond the arc. Finally, the Celtics shot 13 for 42 (31%).

“We had a great game as a team,” Porzingis remarked. “And to be honest, our basketball game was outstanding. What we normally shoot from outside either did not materialise or was not shot. I still think we played very well aside from that.

Despite shooting 40.6% from 3-point range (13 of 32), the Lakers were unable to capitalise on their rare advantage in the shooting game due to their numerous mistakes in other areas.

Coach Darvin Ham ran off a list of errors nearly as long as Santa’s, the details he said Los Angeles cannot afford to get bored with if it wants to compete for a championship at the end of the season. Skills covered included transition defence, rebounding, and preventing turnovers.

According to Davis, it was one of his missed free throws in the third quarter that ultimately decided the game.

“You always think about shots you could have made, defensive plays you could have made, rebounds you could have had, free throws I could have made, things like that that could have changed the game,” Davis said. “I missed a free throw in the third quarter and they end up getting a fast-break 3, and all I was thinking was if I make the free throw, that doesn’t happen.”

When Brown and James were injured in a collision with 4:02 remaining in the second quarter, it was a scary moment for both teams. Brown was cutting back to the ball when he took a bad step and pulled up, leading to James kneeing him in the back. Each player was attended to on the court, with Brown going back to the locker room before returning to start the third quarter.