The Boston Celtics didn’t just beat the Los Angeles Lakers — they dismantled them from the 3-point line and turned a marquee rivalry game into a statement win at TD Garden, cruising to a 126–105 victory in a matchup loaded with storylines but missing its biggest stars.
A Classic Rivalry, Minus LeBron and Luka
On paper,
Lakers vs. Celtics is as big as it gets in the NBA. But this chapter of the league’s oldest rivalry came with a twist:
LeBron James and
Luka Dončić both sat out for Los Angeles.
- James missed the game with
sciatica and
left foot joint arthritis, the same issues that sidelined him for the first 14 games of the season.
- Dončić was unavailable for the
second straight game due to personal reasons.
Without their two offensive engines, the Lakers came into Boston undermanned — and the Celtics wasted no time taking advantage.
Boston
never trailed and built a
29-point lead in the second quarter, effectively seizing control before halftime.
Jaylen Brown’s All-Around Masterclass
Jaylen Brown set the tone for Boston on both ends and looked every bit like the best player on the floor.
-
30 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists anchored the Celtics’ offense.
- He mixed drives, midrange pull-ups, and kick-outs to shooters, functioning as both scorer and playmaker.
Brown’s aggression put constant pressure on a Laker defense already scrambling without its stars. When he wasn’t attacking, he was collapsing the defense and finding teammates behind the arc.
This wasn’t just a scoring night — it was an
organizing night. Those 8 assists were part of a Celtics attack that racked up
31 team assists.
Three-Point Barrage: Boston’s Season-High From Deep
If there was one stat that defined the night, it was this:
Boston hit a season-high 24 three-pointers.- The Celtics’ spacing and quick ball movement repeatedly produced open looks.
- Their 24 made threes combined with 31 assists underlined how connected the offense was.
Derrick White was a major beneficiary of that flow:
-
19 points-
5-of-10 from threeWhite punished the Lakers every time they tried to load up on Brown, calmly stepping into rhythm triples and keeping Boston’s foot on the gas.
Rookie
Jordan Walsh also had one of his most impactful offensive games as a pro, chipping in
17 points as part of Boston’s balanced attack.
Austin Reaves Goes Off in a Losing Effort
For the Lakers, the night wasn’t a total offensive disaster — largely because
Austin Reaves refused to go quietly.
- Reaves poured in
36 points and
8 assists, leading all Lakers scorers.
- He handled heavy on-ball duty with James and Dončić out, attacking mismatches, hitting tough jumpers, and keeping L.A. competitive in stretches.
Gabe Vincent added
18 points, including key buckets that helped the Lakers trim what looked like a blowout into something slightly more respectable heading into the fourth quarter.
At one point, Los Angeles cut the deficit to
15 entering the final period, briefly threatening to turn an early rout into a tense finish.
Boston responded by immediately stretching the lead back above 20, shutting the door on any comeback talk.
Bronny James’ TD Garden Debut
One of the most intriguing subplots had nothing to do with the final score.
With the game effectively decided in the fourth quarter,
Bronny James checked in with
6:38 remaining, making his
TD Garden debut while his father watched from the bench in street clothes.
Bronny’s line:
-
5 points-
2-of-3 from the field-
1 assistIt was a small sample, but a symbolic moment: LeBron on the bench, his son on the floor in one of basketball’s most historic buildings, against the franchise that has defined so much of his legacy from the other side.
Bronny didn’t even make the trip to Boston for last season’s matchup, so this appearance had a bit of extra weight, even if it came in garbage time.
Where This Leaves Both Teams
This result says a lot about where both franchises stand right now — and how thin the margins are at the top of the West and East.
- The
Celtics improved to 14–9, winning their
fourth straight and
sixth of their last seven.
- The
Lakers fell to 16–6, losing for just the
second time in ten games.
For Boston, the win reinforces a few key themes:
- Their offense is at its best when
threes and ball movement drive the game.
-
Brown is increasingly comfortable as a primary creator, not just a finisher.
- Role players like
White and
Walsh can swing games when the threes are falling.
For Los Angeles, the loss is more context than crisis:
- Without
LeBron and
Dončić, they were always going to be in survival mode.
- The encouraging sign:
Reaves showed he can scale up his role against elite opposition.
- The concerning sign: defensive slippage on the perimeter and the inability to run shooters off the line.
What’s Next on the Schedule
The calendar doesn’t give either team much time to catch its breath.
-
Lakers: head to
Philadelphia next, continuing a tough road swing against another Eastern Conference contender.
-
Celtics: travel to
Toronto for their next game.
How quickly James and Dončić return — and how the Lakers manage LeBron’s lingering back and foot issues — will loom large over the coming weeks. For Boston, the question is whether this version of their offense, built on pace, passing, and volume shooting, can become their new normal instead of an occasional outburst.
Big-Picture Takeaways
-
This rivalry chapter belonged to Boston: execution, shooting, and star availability all tilted green.
-
Jaylen Brown’s performance strengthens his case as a true two-way cornerstone, not just Tatum’s sidekick.
-
The Lakers’ depth is better, but not bulletproof: without their headliners, they can compete in stretches, not for 48 minutes, against a top-tier opponent firing from deep.
-
Bronny’s quiet milestone hints at the next generation of Lakers–Celtics storylines, even as the current one still revolves around his father.
Sources
1. LAKERS at CELTICS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | December 5, 2025
2. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics Live Score and Stats
3. Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics Full Game Highlights - YouTube
