Game ID: 22500823
Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers
Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 6:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 28 22 21 18 89BOS 28 32 24 27 111
BOS @ LAL ScoutingBOS @ LAL Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAL availability going into 2/09 · 1 day's restOUT Smith Jr. missed 3 since 2/03, out tonight
BACK Reaves back 2/03 after 19, 23 min since (67% of 35)
LAL availability going into 2/10 · back-to-backOUT Dončić missed 2 since 2/07, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 4 since 2/03, returns tonight: 17 min (157% of 11)
BACK Reaves back 2/03 after 19, 25 min since (71% of 35)
LAL availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restOUT Dončić missed 3 since 2/07, out tonight
BACK Reaves back 2/03 after 19, 25 min since (71% of 35)
BACK Smith Jr. back 2/10 after 4, 17 min since (157% of 11)
LAL availability going into 2/20 · 7 days' restOUT Dončić missed 4 since 2/07, returns tonight: 38 min (106% of 36)
OUT Ayton missed 2 since 2/10, returns tonight: 28 min (100% of 27)
BACK Smith Jr. back 2/10 after 4, 17 min since (157% of 11)
NEW Kleber 10 to 17 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 2/22 · 1 day's restOUT Smith Jr. missed 2 since 2/12, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 2/20 after 4, 38 min since (106% of 36)
BACK Ayton back 2/20 after 2, 28 min since (100% of 27)
LAL availability going into 2/24 · 1 day's restOUT Smith Jr. missed 3 since 2/12, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 2/20 after 4, 35 min since (98% of 36)
BACK Ayton back 2/20 after 2, 26 min since (95% of 27)
LAL availability going into 2/26 · 1 day's restOUT Smith Jr. missed 4 since 2/12, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 2/20 after 4, 36 min since (101% of 36)
BACK Ayton back 2/20 after 2, 28 min since (103% of 27)
LAL availability going into 2/28 · 1 day's restOUT Smith Jr. missed 5 since 2/12, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 2/20 after 4, 37 min since (103% of 36)
BACK Ayton back 2/20 after 2, 27 min since (98% of 27)
LAL availability going into 3/01 · back-to-backOUT Hachimura missed 2 since 2/26, returns tonight: 22 min (75% of 30)
OUT Smith Jr. missed 6 since 2/12, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 2/20 after 4, 35 min since (99% of 36)
BACK Ayton back 2/20 after 2, 25 min since (93% of 27)
BOS availability going into 2/06 · 1 day's restBACK Minott back 1/28 after 12, 4 min since (24% of 16)
BACK Boucher back 1/30 after 30, 4 min since (33% of 10)
NEW Queta 25 to 32 min over the last 4
NEW Garza 16 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW González 14 to 20 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 2/08 · 1 day's restBACK Boucher back 1/30 after 30, 4 min since (33% of 10)
BOS availability going into 2/11 · 2 days' rest
full strength
BOS availability going into 2/19 · 7 days' restNEW Vučević 20 to 26 min over the last 3
NEW Scheierman 18 to 25 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 2/22 · 2 days' restNEW Vučević 20 to 26 min over the last 4
NEW Scheierman 18 to 24 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 2/24 · 1 day's restNEW Scheierman 18 to 25 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 2/25 · back-to-backNEW Scheierman 18 to 28 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 2/27 · 1 day's restNEW Scheierman 18 to 27 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/01 · 1 day's restNEW Scheierman 18 to 26 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; James at 21 and Reaves at 20 a game. One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 103, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Pritchard at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 11 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-11 a night and the Lakers minus-2 and the defense, Boston allowing 103 a night to the Lakers' 116. Call it Boston 113, the Lakers 112, the Lakers keeping it close.
2/09 vs OKC 110-119 — LAL notes
LAL lost 110-119. LAL shot 50% (42 of 84) to OKC's 48%, 10 of 31 from three, and got to the line 23 times to OKC's 29. James led with 22 (9 of 17, 0 of 4 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Smart added 19, Reaves 16. Q3 was theirs, 33-26, the deficit cut from 9 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 93-77 against them. Reaves's -14 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/10 vs SAS 108-136 — LAL notes
LAL lost 108-136. LAL shot 48% (41 of 85) to SAS's 57%, 11 of 25 from three. LAL turned it over 18 times to SAS's 12, and SAS turned those into 14 steals. The glass went 34-45 against them. Kennard led with 14 (5 of 8, 1 of 3 from three); Timme added 14, Hayes 13. Q4 was theirs, 27-21, the deficit cut from 34 to 28, but the other 3 periods went 115-81 against them. LaRavia's -31 in 18 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/12 vs DAL 124-104 — LAL notes
LAL won 124-104. LAL shot 56% (48 of 86) to DAL's 49%, 10 of 31 from three. The glass went 44-28 for them. L. James led with 28 (10 of 20, 2 of 7 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Hachimura added 21, Reaves 18. The hinge was Q3, 32-19: a lead of 1 became 14, and the lead reached 22. Hayes was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
2/20 vs LAC 125-122 — LAL notes
LAL won 125-122. LAL shot 52% (44 of 85) to LAC's 55%, 17 of 31 from three. The glass went 32-42 against them. Dončić led with 38 (11 of 25, 8 of 14 from three, 8 of 11 at the line); Reaves added 29, James 13. The hinge was Q1, 41-30: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Hachimura was the night's best plus/minus at +9.
2/22 vs BOS 89-111 — LAL notes
LAL lost 89-111. LAL shot 39% (34 of 87) to BOS's 48%, 9 of 30 from three. LAL turned it over 8 times to BOS's 14. The glass went 39-50 against them. Dončić led with 25 (9 of 22, 4 of 7 from three, 3 of 6 at the line); James added 20, Reaves 15. Q1 was theirs, 28-28, but the other 3 periods went 83-61 against them. Dončić's -21 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/24 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 118, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; James at 21 and Reaves at 20 a game. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 106, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Bane at 29 and Banchero at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Fra. Wagner (3 straight), Suggs (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Orlando allowing 106 a night to the Lakers' 118. Call it Orlando 115, the Lakers 113, the Lakers keeping it close.
2/26 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 95 a night and allowing 111, shooting 38 percent and 30 from three, 12 free throws a game; Green at 17 and Gillespie at 13 a game. Without Booker (3 straight), Brooks (2 straight), Goodwin (2 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Dončić at 28 and James at 20 a game. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 22 free throws a game to Phoenix's 12 and the arc, the Lakers at 38 percent from three to Phoenix's 30. Call it Phoenix 112, the Lakers 111, the Lakers keeping it close.
2/28 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; Melton at 21 and Moody at 18 a game. Without Ste. Curry (9 straight), Porziņģis (3 straight), Williams (4 straight). 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Dončić at 32 and James at 19 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 24 free throws a game to Golden State's 16. Call it Golden State 117, the Lakers 113, the Lakers keeping it close.
3/01 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Dončić at 30 and Reaves at 19 a game. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Hachimura (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 127, shooting 46 percent and 29 from three, 23 free throws a game; Achiuwa at 17 and Raynaud at 15 a game. Without LaVine (8 straight), Hunter (8 straight), Cardwell (5 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 41 percent from three to Sacramento's 29 and the defense, the Lakers allowing 111 a night to Sacramento's 127. Call it the Lakers 119, Sacramento 113.
2/06 vs MIA 98-96 — BOS notes
BOS won 98-96. BOS shot 42% (35 of 84) to MIA's 42%, 10 of 36 from three. Brown led with 29 (11 of 25, 1 of 7 from three, 6 of 10 at the line); Pritchard added 24, White 21. The hinge was Q3, 36-15: BOS came in trailing by 21 and left it level. BOS trailed 38-59 at the half and won the second half 60-37. Scheierman was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
2/08 vs NYK 89-111 — BOS notes
BOS lost 89-111. BOS took 9 more shots (92 to 83), fed by 14 offensive rebounds, but shot 37% to NYK's 48%, 7 of 41 from three, and got to the line 15 times to NYK's 24. Brown led with 26 (11 of 25, 0 of 4 from three); White added 19, Vučević 11. Q2 was theirs, 29-25, the deficit cut from 11 to 7, but the other 3 periods went 86-60 against them. Pritchard's -27 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/11 vs CHI 124-105 — BOS notes
BOS won 124-105. BOS shot 52% (49 of 95) to CHI's 46%, 18 of 45 from three. The glass went 48-34 for them. Pritchard led with 26 (11 of 18, 3 of 8 from three); Brown added 24, Vučević 19. The hinge was Q2, 36-17: a lead of 9 became 28, and the lead reached 33. Vučević was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
2/19 @ GSW 121-110 — BOS notes
BOS won 121-110. BOS shot 52% (49 of 95) to GSW's 45%, 17 of 40 from three. BOS turned it over 13 times to GSW's 8, and GSW turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 54-40 for them. Pritchard led with 26 (10 of 18, 6 of 11 from three); Brown added 23, Hauser 16. The hinge was Q2, 38-19: a lead of 4 became 23, and the lead reached 34. Hauser was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
2/22 @ LAL 111-89 — BOS notes
BOS won 111-89. BOS shot 48% (40 of 83) to LAL's 39%, 14 of 36 from three. BOS turned it over 14 times to LAL's 8. The glass went 50-39 for them. Brown led with 32 (10 of 28, 3 of 9 from three, 9 of 12 at the line); Pritchard added 30, White 12. The hinge was Q2, 32-22: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Pritchard was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
2/24 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 114, shooting 40 percent and 30 from three, 12 free throws a game; Brooks at 17 and Green at 17 a game. Without Booker (2 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 102, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brown at 27 and Pritchard at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 102 a night to Phoenix's 114 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-9 a night and Phoenix plus-3. Call it Boston 111, Phoenix 108, Phoenix keeping it close.
2/25 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 32 free throws a game; Jokić at 27 and Murray at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Watson (6 straight), Gordon (12 straight), Pickett (3 straight). 2 days' rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 99, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 13 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Pritchard at 19 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 13 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the line, where Denver takes 32 free throws a game to Boston's 13 and the defense, Boston allowing 99 a night to Denver's 116. Call it Denver 115, Boston 112, Boston keeping it close.
2/27 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 98, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 14 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Pritchard at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. One day's rest. Brooklyn comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 116, shooting 43 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; Porter Jr. at 21 and Claxton at 14 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. Without Saraf (5 straight), Johnson (22 straight), Etienne (36 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-12 a night and Brooklyn minus-10 and the defense, Boston allowing 98 a night to Brooklyn's 116. Call it Boston 115, Brooklyn 101, Boston by 14.
3/01 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 99, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Pritchard at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Maxey at 31 and Edgecombe at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without George (12 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-12 a night and Philadelphia plus-0 and the defense, Boston allowing 99 a night to Philadelphia's 116. Call it Boston 116, Philadelphia 110.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAR A. Reaves
DA D. Ayton
DK D. Knecht
DO Doncic
JH J. Hayes
JL J. LaRavia
JV J. Vanderbilt
KB K. Bufkin
LD L. Dončić
LJ L. James
LK L. Kennard
MK M. Kleber
MS M. Smart
RH R. Hachimura
BOSAW A. Williams
BS B. Scheierman
DW D. White
GO Gonzalez
HG H. González
JB J. Brown
JW J. Walsh
NQ N. Queta
NV N. Vučević
PP P. Pritchard
RH R. Harper Jr.
SH S. Hauser
LAL/BOS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard lead Celtics past Lakers 111-89 for a season sweep of this rivalry
LOS ANGELES -- — Jaylen Brown had 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and the Boston Celtics swept the season series in the NBA's most storied rivalry with a 111-89 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.
Payton Pritchard scored 30 points with six 3-pointers and eight assists for the Celtics , who have won three straight and eight of nine as they attempt to close the gap on Detroit atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Brown and Pritchard scored 19 points apiece in the second half, and Pritchard wrapped up the win on a step-back 3-pointer with 3:24 to play, prompting the Lakers to empty their bench amid scattered boos.
Luka Doncic had 25 points and LeBron James got the 43,000th point of his career while scoring 20 for the Lakers, who fell short at home against a probable NBA title contender for the third time in two weeks. Los Angeles was held to its second-lowest point total of the season.
Austin Reaves added 15 points for the Lakers, who also repeatedly lost their cool and got whistled for three technical fouls after a series of questionable calls.
Boston nursed a solid lead throughout the second half and had little trouble controlling the latest meeting between historic franchises with a combined 35 NBA titles.
The Lakers honored Pat Riley during a halftime ceremony after unveiling a bronze statue of their former coach outside their downtown arena. Riley won six championship rings during his two decades in Los Angeles, including nine seasons and four titles as the head coach of the 1980s Showtime Lakers.
Doncic, James and Reaves played together for only the 12th time this season with the Lakers largely back to full health — but then Los Angeles lost backup center Jaxson Hayes to an ankle injury before halftime.
The Celtics beat the Lakers 126-105 in Boston last December while Doncic and James were out.
While James extended his NBA scoring record to another milestone number, he also played in his 1,600th regular-season game to join Celtics great Robert Parish (1,611) as the only NBA players to reach the mark.