The Lakers-Celtics matchup accomplished a feat not seen since 2000

A recent clash between perennial rivals Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics ended up being an anticlimax. The game was preceded by the unveiling of a statue of Pat Rileywho declared to his former team that it was time to kick some “bosonic dick”

However, the scenario was reversed when Jaylen Brown ran the show for the Lakers’ disastrous 111-89 losseven if the sheer historical value of this rivalry was evidenced by the number of people who watched the game on NBC streams. The network giants announced that the Lakers-Celtics game averaged about 5.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched regular season Sunday night game since 2000. according to the post on X from ClutchPoints.

This can make the performance even more difficult for fans to digest. Before tipoff, the Lakers unveiled a nearly eight-foot bronze statue of legendary coach Pat Riley outside Cripto.com Arena, celebrating the architect of the “Showtime” era who brought four championships to the city as a head coach.

The pre-match festivities were meant to set the tone for a heavyweight clash against their bitterest, historic rivals. Instead, the Lakers came out completely flat despite all three of their Big-3 fit and shooting.

Jaylen Brown was the spearhead, orchestrating the offense with a masterful performance of 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. However, it was reigning Sixth Man of the Year Peyton Pritchard who served as the ultimate dagger.

Pritchard scored 30 points off the bench, knocking down six 3-pointers and dishing out eight assists. The duo combined for 38 points in the second half alone, burying the Lakers with a barrage of step-back jumpers and aggressive drives.

Despite the dysfunction around him, James officially became the first player in NBA history to reach 43,000 points in a career regular season, accomplishing it on a layup in the third quarter. Moreover, he recorded his 1,600th. regular season appearance, tying Celtics legend Robert Parish for the second most in league history.

Luka Doncic led the team with 25 points but struggled with mid-range efficiency, missing five of six long two-point attempts, while Austin Reaves (15 points) completely disappeared in the second half, attempting just 10 shots on the night, adding 15 points.