LeBron James leaves late with groin injury as Lakers lose 111-101 to Celtics
LeBron James exited early with an injury as Jayson Tatum scored 40 points to lead the Celtics to a 111-101 win over the Lakers.
BOSTON — Jayson Tatum had 40 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, and the Boston Celtics held off a late rally to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-101 on Saturday night.
With LeBron James in the locker room with a strained groin, the Lakers cut a 20-point, fourth-quarter deficit to single digits. But Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored Boston’s final 12 points to preserve the win.
Brown added 31 points as the Celtics earned their fourth straight victory.
James finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists before exiting midway through the fourth quarter.
Luka Doncic had 34 points and eight rebounds in his first game in Boston since he and the Dallas Mavericks lost Game 5 of the NBA Finals as Boston clinched its 18th championship.
Rating: 5