On Friday night, the Boston Celtics ruined LeBron James’ return from an ab injury by storming back from an early deficit to dominate the second half and run away with a 130-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jayson Tatum led the way with 37 points and 11 rebounds in his greatest game of the season, putting in a show-stopping performance on national television.
On the other hand, even with LeBron James back in the lineup, Anthony Davis and LeBron James combined for 54 points and 12 rebounds, but they didn’t get much help from the supporting cast as they continue to struggle to put together four great quarters. Russell Westbrook, who had just 12 points and six assists on 5-of-13 shooting, was one among those who struggled to make an impression.
On the opposite side of the court, Dennis Schroder, the Lakers’ former point guard, maintained his outstanding play of late with 21 points and six assists on 8-of-14 shooting, getting some vengeance on the team that let him depart this offseason in favor of trading for Russell Westbrook. After the game, everyone in Boston was feeling good about themselves, so the broadcast graphics team decided to spice things up during Schroder’s postgame interview by substituting “Y’all paying Russell Westbrook $44 million lol” for the regular stat line on the screen.
It’s important to note that this was not anything Schroder said, but rather something they said on the NBC Sports Boston broadcast. Schroder, of course, is in Boston on a $5.9 million contract after mishandling his free agency by passing on a reputed $84 million offer from the Los Angeles Lakers. previous season (despite the fact that he claims the offer never arrived) and was the point guard that was left out last summer after Kyle Lowry, Spencer Dinwiddie, Devonte’ Graham, and Mike Conley all worked out contract extensions. He’s on a prove it deal and is certainly adding value to his name early this season, and Friday night surely felt good for him against his former team — and the broadcast crew certainly enjoyed it a lot.
