The Los Angeles Lakers made their fans very happy on Thursday night. Not only did they claim their 24th win of the season, but it was against their age-old rivals, the Boston Celtics. Their 117-96 victory was possible because the Lakers were solid in every way throughout the entire game.

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) dribbles the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby ...

Anthony Davis scored 24 points, Austin Reaves added 23 and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 117-96 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

Jayson Tatum scored 24 points, Derrick White added 23, including Boston’s first 11 of the third quarter, and the Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 122-107 on Saturday night in the first meeting between the teams since the NBA Finals.

One night later, Boston players all but shrugged their shoulders after falling to the Lakers 117-96 on the second leg of a back-to-back. Kristaps Porziņģis, who has been critical of the Celtics after their worst games recently, sounded ready to dump the latest poor result into the nearest trash can and forget about it for good.

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

The Celtics will look to stay perfect on their West Coast road trip as they take on LeBron James and the Lakers. Follow our live blog for updates throughout the game.

Also, after not losing a single game by double digits from the start of the season through the end of December, the Celtics have since suffered defeats of 13, 13, 17 and 21 points, all in their last 10 games. Those also were the only games this season in which Boston failed to score 100 points.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, center, shoots as Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, left, and guard Derrick White defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) AP

Announcement of the 2025 NBA All-Stars starters spread quickly through the vast world of basketball, and as enticing as it is to forecast the Feb. 14 to 18 break in play, there remains a chock-full week of action ahead.

Defensive Player of the Year…” Shams: “Do you agree Wemby’s gonna get it?” AD: “I feel like the narrative is being pushed