Three key things to watch for against LeBron, Luka, and the Lakers.<\/p>\n
Both the Celtics and Lakers currently hold the second seed in their respective conferences.<\/p>\n
One of the greatest rivalries in sports kicks off Saturday night in Boston. With countless showdowns between the Celtics and Lakers, the excitement surrounding the game is always immense.<\/p>\n
The revamped Lakers are visiting Boston for the first and only time this season, after their last matchup in January when the Celtics fell 117-96 at Crypto. Boston has improved to 45-18, securing second place in the East, while the Lakers sit at 40-21, also in second place in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n
A significant change for the Lakers is Luka Don\u010di\u0107 now starting alongside LeBron James.<\/p>\n
This new pairing will face off against the reigning champion duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, which leads me to my first point of focus.<\/p>\n
While Brown defended Luka in the Finals, it caused Luka to exert more energy, and at times he appeared visibly tired, missing shots he typically makes.<\/p>\n
Will Joe Mazzulla opt to have Brown defend Don\u010di\u0107 from the start, or will the Celtics mix up their strategy to keep the Lakers and Don\u010di\u0107 on their toes?<\/p>\n
Offensively, Brown has only had one 30+ point game in 2025. Scoring a lot on a team stacked with scorers is challenging, but we may be in for a big offensive performance from Brown.<\/p>\n
How will Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is perform in his return?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not officially confirmed that Porzi\u0146\u0123is will play against the Lakers, but based on his Instagram, it seems he\u2019s revealing the news himself.<\/p>\n
If we trust social media, then Boston is set for a significant boost against Los Angeles. The Latvian missed the last four games due to a non-COVID illness, and it\u2019s unclear whether he\u2019ll be at full strength or play limited minutes due to stamina concerns after his illness.<\/p>\n
However, Porzi\u0146\u0123is\u2019 presence will be valuable, as the Lakers have struggled in the center position after trading Anthony Davis to the Mavericks and Mark Williams failing his physical, even with the addition of Alex Len.<\/p>\n
In the first matchup, Porzi\u0146\u0123is led Boston with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Even if he\u2019s only 70% of his usual self, his impact could still be significant.<\/p>\n
It\u2019ll be interesting to see whether Mazzulla starts Porzi\u0146\u0123is or brings him off the bench. Given the games he\u2019s missed in his brief Celtics tenure, it might be wise to keep the starting lineup intact. Regardless of whether he starts or not, Porzi\u0146\u0123is will be key for Boston on both ends.<\/p>\n
Jayson Tatum has been in outstanding form recently. Everyone knows that Tatum\u2019s idol growing up was Kobe Bryant, and this game is likely to carry extra meaning for every player in a Celtics jersey, especially Tatum. Typically, Tatum performs well against the Lakers, though he had one of his rougher shooting nights in January.<\/p>\n
Tatum scored 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting with a +\/- of -13.<\/p>\n
Facing off against LeBron at home, Tatum will likely aim to make up for his previous performance, particularly in front of the Boston crowd. There have been few occasions when Tatum hasn\u2019t delivered in major prime-time games in Boston.<\/p>\n
Fresh off 35 points in 31 minutes against Philadelphia, Tatum will be well-rested and ready to perform. It\u2019ll be intriguing to see who defends Tatum.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unlikely to be LeBron, but if it is, it\u2019ll be a thrilling matchup of old school vs. new school, with two of the league\u2019s best going head-to-head. LeBron will just need to be cautious not to jump with Tatum the next time he drives.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Three key things to watch for against LeBron, Luka, and the Lakers. Both the Celtics and Lakers currently hold the second seed in their respective conferences. One of the greatest rivalries in sports kicks off Saturday night in Boston. With countless showdowns between the Celtics and Lakers, the excitement surrounding the game is always immense. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2586],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lakers"],"yoast_head":"\n