Tiger Woods encourages LA before the Celtics showdown
The The Los Angeles Lakers started the unofficial second half their season on a strong note Friday with a tight home victory over the Los Angeles Clippersthanks to the monster game of Luka Dončić. They’ll look to keep things going on Sunday with a big game against the Boston Celtics in the latest installment of the NBA’s most historic rivalry.
Before the game, the Lakers won lively conversation from an unexpected source: a golf legend Tiger Woods.
“The Lakers continued their ‘Genius Talks’ series with a trip to Riviera Country Club on Saturday for the Genesis Invitational, and Rob Pelinka hosted a visit and address from Tiger Woods for the team,” NBA insider Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported on X, formerly Twitter.
Previous guests in the series included, among others, the actor Will Smith.
The Lakers will certainly need all the expertise they can muster Sunday against a Celtics team that has defied expectations so far this season, looking like a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference despite playing without Jayson Tatum, who appears to be nearing a return from an Achilles injury.
The Celtics opened their post-All-Star streak with a big win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, and the Lakers will have their hands full trying to guard Boston wing Jaylen Brown, who has entered the MVP conversation for his play so far this year.
Of course, the Celtics won’t have an easy task themselves as they try to guard the Lakers’ three-headed snake of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, who all had solid games against the Clippers on Friday.
Either way, the Lakers and Clippers will play at an unusual 6:30 PM ET Sunday in Los Angeles, with the game televised by NBC.
2026-02-22 23:11:00
