The Los Angeles Lakers had a prime opportunity on their home floor — shortly after unveiling Pat Riley’s statue — to earn a big win over their rival, the Boston Celtics.
Instead, they seemingly laid an egg.
Although the Lakers stayed close for much of the first half, they entered the break trailing 60‑50 and never mounted a serious comeback in the second half, ultimately losing 111‑89. It was one of their worst losses of the season, especially given that it came against the Celtics with a fully healthy roster.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 25 points, while LeBron James added 20. The pair combined to shoot 18‑for‑43 from the field, and aside from Austin Reaves, who scored 15 points, no other player reached double figures.
After the game, NBA and Lakers legend James Worthy didn’t hold back when discussing Los Angeles’ performance, saying the team showed “no respect for the uniform.”
"This game to me wasn’t about stats… no heart, weak… This afternoon was weak," Worthy said. "It’s the Boston Celtics… to me, no respect for the uniform. You come out and get outrebounded, Pritchard and Jaylen Brown sniff out weakness. When you do that, you can dominate. That’s what they did… they’re a good team, I’m not taking that away from them, and they’ve got offensive power… it was tough to watch."
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James Worthy RIPS the Lakers after their loss to the Celtics 😬
“No heart, weak… This afternoon, was weak. It’s the Boston Celtics… To me, No respect for the uniform. You come out and get out rebounded, Pritchard and Jaylen Brown, you can sniff out weakness. When you do that,… pic.twitter.com/KZVLpWsJD1
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 23, 2026
The Lakers are two games removed from the All-Star break, going 1‑1 during that stretch and sitting 34‑22 overall. That places them fifth in the Western Conference, just one game out of third place — a race likely to be contested between the Lakers, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets, while the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs begin to separate themselves at the top.
Consistency has been L.A.’s biggest issue this season, particularly on defense. The team ranks 24th in the NBA in defensive rating (116.7), making them one of the league’s weaker defensive squads — much of which comes down to the effort issues James Worthy highlighted.
The Lakers return to action on Tuesday night when they host the Orlando Magic (30‑26) at home.
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