Play.
The Celtics used a big second half to beat the Lakers.
The Celtics defeated the Lakers 130-108 as Jayson Tatum had 37 points on 13-of-26 shooting. The song is called "1:56."
2:11 AM
The Los Angeles Lakers' inconsistent play was on full display in their 130-108 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday, despite the return of King James.
L.A., which was one of the favorites to win the championship, is now 8-9 with more than a fifth of the season in the books.
"It's never, 'We got 65 games left'" James said when asked if he can take the long view considering the Lakers' early injuries and how much of the regular-season slate remains. No matter who is in the lineup, we need to play better. We have our system and we need to fast-track it and get better with it so we can play, no matter who is out on the floor. There's no panic. There should be a sense of urgentness when we take the floor.
James played for the first time in 212 weeks because of an abdomen strain and showed signs of his old self, but only three of his shot attempts came in the paint.
James said that he felt good enough to play tonight and that he could trust his body. I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel tomorrow. If I'm moving in the right direction with my injury, that's the telltale sign.
Who knows what the Lakers are going to do.
Boston outrebounded L.A. despite starting center Robert Williams III being out of the lineup.
"I mean rebound," said Russell. You can't do much about it. Go get the ball.
The Celtics broke things open in the third quarter with a 33-21 quarter, after the Lakers had led by as many as 14 in the first half.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel said that they have to get committed to playing as a team. It looks beautiful when we do that, and you can see the potential of what we can be. We got into holding the ball too much. Learning each other and building that cohesiveness is part of that. Guys are going to have big roles if they commit to the defensive side. They're not if they don't. It's simple.
The 130 points by Boston were the most the Lakers have allowed.
Anthony Davis, who led L.A. with 31 points, said that he doesn't think it's our offense, but our defense. We need to do a better job on the defensive end.
Dennis Schroder, who was brought in to replace the point guard that was brought in to replace the one that was brought in to replace the one that was brought in to replace the one that was brought in to replace the one that was brought in to replace the one that was brought in to He and his team were frustrated as they tried to come together.
Everyone on the outside has high expectations of our team, as they should, according to Westbrook. We haven't really played with each other realistic, and nobody cares, and I'm tired of giving the same answer to the same question every time we lose.
How long do you think it will take? We don't know. It will take some time when we win. There will be ups and downs throughout the season. As a team, it's what you do. You can either pull apart or come together to figure it out.
Nunn and Ariza have yet to appear in a game for the Lakers this season. Austin Reaves is still out with a hamstring strain.
James said he would like to see the team stick to a consistent look, either going big with DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard at center or small with Anthony Davis at the 5.
He doesn't want the team to stop fighting.
James said that it's never as bad as it seems and it's never as good as it feels. "So I stay calm throughout the journey." I understand that this is a big deal. It's a process for us. I look forward to the process of us trying to get better because I have always felt comfortable when things are uncomfortable.
We are getting better. Not trying. We will get better. We will improve.
