LeBron James put the Los Angles Lakers up for good against the Boston Celtics on Sunday by hitting a fadeaway jumper with 30 seconds remaining. James finished with 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds while working to secure the hard-fought 114-112 Lakers win. Anthony Davis accounted for 32 points and 13 rebounds of his own for L.A., but it was the 21-year-old forward for the Celtics who stole the headlines.
Jayson Tatum led all scorers by pouring in 41 points on an efficient 12-of-20 shooting from the field on Sunday despite the two-point loss. He made four 3-pointers and also grabbed five rebounds while keeping his Celtics within striking distance throughout the contest. After the game, LeBron shouted Tatum out on Instagram by calling him “an absolute problem” for the opposing team on the basketball court.
“It was a step in the right direction,” Tatum said of his performance against LeBron and A.D. “I definitely looked up to those guys and know how great they are individually, so just trying to earn the respect of the guys I look up to.”
Tatum was forced to step up offensively in the absence of Boston’s All-Star point guard Kemba Walker who missed the game with an injury. His 41 points at the Staples Center in Los Angeles matched a career-high that Tatum posted in New Orleans last month. He scored 16 points during a five-minute stretch in the 3rd quarter and is averaging 23 to go along with seven rebounds for the season.
Up next for the Lakers is a home date with another young king when Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans arrive in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
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