NBA’s no.1 team in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, lost drastically to their longtime rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, on February 2nd with a final score of 105-114. Interestingly, the Lakers played without their legendary duo, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. And yet the Celtics, who were playing at almost full strength, lost. Coach Joe Mazulla benched the Celtic superstars, including Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown, along with Jrue Holiday early in the third quarter.

Those watching the game were taken aback by Coach Mazulla’s decision to pull back the core team. Porzingis, after the game, said, “We deserved it. We were pissed off at ourselves. I understood it. You never want to come out of the game, but something needed to change.” 

Jaylen Brown, the captain of the team, said, “As a leader on this team, I take responsibility for it. We’ve gotta be better.” Team captain Brown further went on to state, “We don’t want to build bad habits. We want to play the game the right way”. The Boston Celtics, who are well on their way to possibly winning the championship, fell short of their fans’ as well as their own expectations.

Before the game, considering the starting lineups on both sides, most anticipated that the Celtics would wipe the floor with the Lakers on account of James’ and Davis’ injuries. But lo-and-behold comes along Austin Reeves, who scored a season-high 32 points. D’Angelo Russell contributed 16 points, 14 assists, and 8 rebounds while Jaxon Hayes scored 16 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Lakers to their surprising victory.

From what one can make out the winning team certainly knows how to take an “L”. As they mull over their humiliating loss to their arch-rivals, the Lakers, there is a sense of acknowledgment where things took a turn for the worse. There is also a sense of appreciation for young Coach Mazulla for his strategic decision to pull out Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis.

Read more: “Good Ol’ Fashioned A** Whooping”: Jrue Holiday Sums Up Celtics Humiliation After Clippers Thrashing

What’s on the cards for Celtics’ next game?

The Boston Celtics are set to host the Memphis Grizzlies on February 5th. In their last close encounter, on November 20th, 2023, Boston won by a narrow margin of 102-100. Kirstaps scored the game-winning dunk against the Grizzlies. After their confidence was shaken up following the embarrassing Lakers’ loss, the Celtics will have to refocus and re-calibrate their strategies.

The Celtics lost the Conference finals to Miami Heat last year. The Celtics are now stacked and hopeful for a run to the NBA finals and a Championship win in 2024. Will the Celtics’ mascot “Lucky the Leprechaun” bring them some extra luck this season? Get ready to find out!

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