BOSTON – Lakers guard Patrick Beverly snapped a courtside camera in an effort to show Referee Eric Lewis what anyone who watched the replay already knew: LeBron James was fouled on his missed layup at the end of the rule.
Rather than getting the call, Beverly pulled a technical foul that gave Boston the lead to start overtime and the NBA-leading Celtics beat Los Angeles 125-121 on Saturday night.
“The best player in the world cannot be called. It’s incredible,” said Lakers coach Darvin Ham. “As hard as you try not to put it on the board, it’s getting harder and harder.”
Jaylen Brown scored 37 points, ending a three-point tie game by 4.1 seconds and adding 11 more points in overtime to help the Celtics go on a three-game losing streak. Brown added nine rebounds, Jayson Tatum had 30 points and 11 rebounds and Malcom Brogdon had 15 of his 26 points in the second half of a seesaw game that featured 19 lead changes — six in the fourth quarter — and 15 ties.
James had 41 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. But it was his missed layup at the end of regulation that infuriated him on the pitch and left him simmering in his locker afterwards.
“I don’t understand. I don’t understand what we’re doing and I watch basketball every day,” said James, who sat with a towel on his head during overtime and barely looked up as he spoke from his locker. “I’m watching I play games every single day and I don’t see it happening to anyone. It’s just weird.”
Anthony Davis had 16 points with 10 rebounds and came off the bench for the second straight game after missing 20 with a foot injury. Beverly scored 15 and put the Lakers ahead twice in the last minute of game four. But he also missed a foul shot that could have decided him and his technique gave the Celtics the lead to start overtime and they were never behind again.
“At the end of the day, the players decided this game,” Brown said. “We played on the track; They made plays on the track. And I thought it was a good game. It was probably one of the bigger games in our last Lakers-Celtics matchup. And I’m happy that we’re one step ahead.”
With Paul Pierce of the Celtics Hall of Fame cheering on his former team from the sidelines and the team’s broadcasters — Boston’s Cedric Maxwell and LA’s Mychal Thompson — trash-talking in the press series, the Celtics swept their longtime rivals in the two-game season series. There was a vocal group of Lakers fans making noise as the visitors extended an 11-point lead in the third quarter. But they were roared out by the locals as Tatum, who scored 15 points in the third, including three 3-pointers, helped close an 11-point deficit.
Beverly hit a 3-pointer to put the Lakers ahead with 52 seconds left and then, after Boston equalized, hit a putback dunk that put the lead at 104-102 with 19 seconds left. But after Brown missed a 3, Beverly missed one of two free throws; Al Horford missed a 3, and Brown hit on the putback and picked up a delayed foul call.
“It was just the madness of the game,” Brown said. “It looked like they missed a call on their side towards the end of the game. But that’s life. You will be fine.”
A game after missing two free throws by 8 seconds in a one-point game against the Knicks, Brown hit that one to play it 105-all by 4.1 seconds. The Celtics (36-15) have the best record in the NBA despite losing their last three games.
TIP INS
James is 116 points away from matching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA-record career points of 38,387. … Pierce wore some kind of shamrock pajama bottoms. … Westbrook missed his first six shots as the crowd mocked him for shooting before finishing with 12 points on 4 of 14 shots. … Brown recorded his fifth foul on first possession of the fourth quarter. … The Celtics beat the Lakers 122-118 on Dec. 13 in LA. Tatum scored 44 points. Davis had 37 points and 12 rebounds. James hit 33 with nine boards and nine assists. … The Celtics were without point guard Marcus Smart and big man Robert Williams III, both of whom have sprained ankles.
NEXT
Lakers: In Brooklyn on Monday night.
Celtics: Wednesday night in Brooklyn.
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