LeBron James couldn’t save the Los Angeles Lakers in his return as the squad lost to the Boston Celtics, 130-108.
The first quarter went just as smooth as L.A. could’ve hoped for. Anthony Davis dominated down low, LeBron connected on his jumpers and Malik Monk chipped in with 3s. The Lakers led by 14 at one point.
But that was the high point for Los Angeles.
Boston came out in the second quarter and responded. Marcus Smart and Dennis Schroder killed L.A.’s defense with their penetration on the offensive end, and the Lakers started to stall with their schemes.
The third quarter woes returned, too. The Celtics went on an 8-0 run to open the period and outscored L.A. 33-21. Jayson Tatum headlined the fourth quarter as the Lakers never found a way to stop the bleeding.
Here is how the Lakers, now 8-9, graded individually:
