Neither LeBron James nor Anthony Davis suited up for the Lakers on Thursday night, but that didn’t stop the Celtics from suffering a surprising 114-105 defeat at TD Garden.
By the third quarter, Boston trailed the shorthanded Los Angeles squad by double figures.
The fans booed, and coach Joe Mazzulla decided to send a message by taking Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis out of the game with 9:04 remaining in the third.
Brown and Porzingis sat out the rest of the quarter before subbing in to start the fourth.