The Los Angeles Lakers (15-25) weren't exactly welcoming to Rajon Rondo as he returned to the Boston Celtics (14-27) lineup on Friday night. Pau Gasol scored a team-high 24 points as the Lakers escaped the TD Bank Garden with a narrow 107-104 victory, thus ending their six-game losing streak.
The Celtics didn't score a single point in the final 3:10 of the game as Los Angeles went on a late 11-0 run to retake the lead.
This wasn't exactly classic Lakers vs. Celtics basketball as both sides entered the game with a combined winning percentage of just .354.
Los Angeles turned the ball over 19 times to Boston's seven, but its 50 percent shooting from the field and 28 attempts at the charity stripe helped them emerge victorious
Key Players: Los Angeles Lakers
Pau Gasol, Center
The month of January has been very kind to Pau Gasol as he's put up consistently strong numbers through seven games, averaging a double-double of 19.7 points and 11.6 rebounds on 50 percent shooting.
He was a man of many skills in the first quarter, giving his Lakers squad terrific numbers across the board with eight points, six rebounds and three assists in his opening 10 minutes of action.
The frontcourt of Boston put up a fight against Gasol in the paint, but to no avail.
He flirted with a triple-double, scoring 24 points, grabbing 13 rebounds along with six assists.
Grade: A+
Kendall Marshall, Point Guard
Over his past three games, Kendall Marshall is averaging a double-double of 12 points and 13 assists. The Lakers haven't been winning, but Marshall has done his best to contribute with both his passing and scoring.
By halftime, Marshall had already scored 10 points and handed out seven assists, so he was well on his way to his fourth straight double-double.
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics: Game Grades and Analysis
Published: January 18, 2014Posted in: LA Lakers
