Teams often talk about the importance of closing quarters and halves on a strong note. To that extent, Boston’s close to the second and third quarters of Saturday’s matchup with Los Angeles ignited an easy path toward its third straight victory.
Defense was the tone-setter for each run. First, the C’s forced LA into two turnovers and a missed 3-pointer during the final 1:17 of the first half. Then, Boston limited the Lakers to 2-for-9 shooting during the final 3:36 of the third quarter.
Both stretches of strong defense led to Boston’s lead ballooning at the other end of the court.