Andrew Bynum played a key part in the Lakers win today.
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Lakers 97 Celtics 94 Final. 

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the Celtics were going to take a three pointer and Ray Allen would be the primary option. With that in mind the Lakers were able to set up a smothering defense forcing Allen to pass and then staying home on defense to not allow Pierce or Rondo an open look as the clock expired. 

The Celtics are a team that lives and dies off of making open long-range jump shots. Hitting those shots helped get them back into this game but once the team went cold again they were unable to generate points. 

Defensively both teams played well and Kobe Bryant proved once again why he's one of the best ever in big games. As the fourth quarter progressed Bryant was able scoring points or making a key pass that created opportunities for his teammates in particular Andrew Bynum. 

This is a tough loss to the Celtics since they're kicking off an eight game road trip and have another game tomorrow in the same building against the Los Angeles Clippers. 

For the Lakers this is an encouraging win and it makes it two in a row since the team lost a tough game to Washington on Wednesday. The Lakers travel to Memphis for a game Tuesday Night. 

Lakers 97 Celtics 94. 15.5 second left in 4th Quarter

The Lakers continue to be aggressive on offense and the Celtics have yet to respond down the stretch. They're now in a position where they must hit a three point shot to tie the game. 

Lakers 95 Celtics 94: 23.8 Seconds Left in 4th Quarter

Celtics took a five point lead but the Lakers stormed back with six unanswered to take the lead back. It's been all Kobe Bryant either hitting shots or executing a beautiful lob inside to get Andrew Bynum an easy lay-up. 

The Celtics have missed some open shots and have not taken the ball to the basket. 

Celtics 91 Lakers 89. 2:45 left in 4th Quarter. 

The Celtics have made very few trips to the free throw line today. They've only attempted 10 while the Lakers have made 26 trips. It's a product of a Celtics offense that doesn't get a lot of offensive rebounds or drive to the basket all that often. 

Boston is a pretty good free throw shooting team in particular Ray Allen and Paul Pierce and with the Lakers expecting the Celtics to take jump shots the Celtics may want to show more aggression and get some trips to the line. 

Celtics 89 Lakers 87: 3:42 left in 4th Quarter. 

This game is now at a point where every possession has meaning.

As expected Kobe Bryant as stepped up with two big shots.

As both teams come down the stretch look for them to rely heavily on their most skilled and experienced offensive players.

For Boston that means Rondo, Pierce, Allen and Garnett.

The Lakers will try and get the ball to Gasol or Kobe with World Peace as a beneficiary of any defensive overplays.  

Celtics 78 Lakers 76: 7:33 left in 4th Quarter. 

Sportswriter and Celtics fan Bill Simmons tweets that Kobe Bryant has yet to really start shooting in this game.

The Celtics continue to force turnovers and hit shots.  The defense by Boston has been very good today.

Kobe leads the Lakers with 16 points.
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Lakers 72 Celtics 70: Start of the 4th Quarter. 

The Celtics aren't the type of team that can comeback from a huge second half deficit but with the score see-sawing back-and-forth this is currently anyone's game. 

The teams are engaged in physical game and the rebounding while still to the Lakers' advantage has evened out a bit to a more manageable 32-23 deficit for Boston. 

Rajon Rondo has shown that while he's not in the same class as Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook when it comes to scoring if his outside shot is falling he will put points on the board. Rondo leads all scorers with 20 points and has chipped in 7 assists. 

The Lakers are led by Kobe Bryant who has a quiet 16 points. Meanwhile Andrew Bynum has 14 points and 12 rebounds. 

Metta World Peace has had a big third quarter.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Lakers 60 Celtics 57. 4:46 left in 3rd Quarter. 

Some rivalries are friendly. This one is not. Paul Pierce and Metta World Peace exchanged some words and shoves after a hard foul. 

This game that at one point had all the makings of a Lakers blowout is now being played at a pace more advantageous to the Celtics. 

Metta World Peace has stepped up in the third quarter with 10 points. As the Celtics and Lakers battle back-and-forth the Celtics have to be concerned that Kobe Bryant has yet to find his rhythm. Bryant has only 10 points on 4 of 13 shooting.  

NFL caliber? Rajon Rondo considered the NFL at one point during the lockout.
Elsa/Getty Images

Interesting sound bite from Rajon Rondo is which he revealed an honest interest in playing wide receiver in the NFL had the NBA Lockout continued. The subject came up when Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady was spotted in the crowd watching the game. 

Celtics 50 Lakers 47: 9:29 Left in 3rd Quarter. 

Boston continues to play passing lanes and force turnovers. They've converted several easy baskets to open up a three point lead. 

Lakers 44 Celtics 42: At The Half. 

The Celtics have to be thrilled with the current score. They were down by as many as 15 points yet entered the locker room down only two. 

The Lakers shot 51.4 percent while Boston shot 39.5 percent. 

Boston got a combined 10 points from Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Rajon Rondo swollen eye and all was able to contribute 10 points to lead all Celtics in scoring. 

For Los Angeles they've got a double-double out of Andrew Bynum who had 11 points and 10 rebounds but any optimism from that performance has been tempered by Bynum's early departure to the locker room with under 30 seconds left in the half. 

Bynum was seen limping in the tunnel back to the locker room and one of the Lakers' athletic trainers soon followed him back.

For Los Angeles the Lakers need Bynum to be healthy and to cut down on their turnovers. The Lakers committed 11 turnovers while Boston had only five. 

The Celtics need to find a way to grab more rebounds or hit more shots. The first part will be made much easier if Andrew Bynum is not able to return. The second part one would think is within Boston's reach. Allen and Pierce are a combined 3 of 15. 

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Halftime: Lakers 44 Celtics 42. 

Two noteworthy happenings as the first half concluded.

Andrew Bynum has limped back to the locker room before the conclusion of the first half. That could be a big development in this game.

Rajon Rondo nailed a three pointer from the top of the key as the half concluded to send the Celtics into the locker room on a positive note.  

Lakers 42 Celtics 39: 25.2 Seconds left in the First Half. 

Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are a combined 3 of 14 from the field today. For Boston to be as close in the game as they are is encouraging. The Celtics who struggle on offense will never put up enough points to win if both Allen and Pierce aren't able to get on track. 

Scorers such as Allen and Pierce have both had their fair share of tough outings in their long careers. Look for both players to shoot the ball better as the game progresses. 

Paul Pierce has struggled today.
Elsa/Getty Images

Lakers 41 Celtics 32. 3:14 left in 2nd Quarter. 

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers has left Greg Stiemsma in the game for a fair amount of the first half. Rivers clearly feels like he needs the extra help on the glass. That has yet to translate on the boards though.  

The Celtics in spite of their woeful offense have hung in due to their solid defense which is very disciplined and does not allow too many easy baskets. Normally a team with large rebounding advantage like the Lakers have would have benefited with more easy baskets. Not the case against the Celtics who have also played a role in the ten Lakers' turnovers. 

Lakers 37 Celtics 22. 5:31 left in 2nd Quarter.

The Lakers are really taking advantage of the poor shooting of the Celtics and the continued struggles on the glass. 

Boston has tried to take advantage of the Laker's willingness to give them open long range shots but they've missed far too often. Another negative of that is the Celtics aren't drawing fouls or getting to the free throw line. 

Boston has only attempted two free throws while the Lakers have made six trips to the line. Boston is only 10 of 34 from the field and the Lakers own a 23-12 advantage on the glass

Fair-weather Celtics fan?
Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Lakers 28 Celtics 18. 9:51 left in 2nd Quarter. 

The Celtics have an unusual fan in the form of former New York Giant Michael Strahan. Who tweeted that today's is one of the few times he roots for Boston. 

End of First Quarter Lakers 24  Celtics 14

This game is beginning to take on an ominous feeling for Celtics fans. 

Not only is Boston shooting terribly ( 25%) but they're getting beat on the boards as well. The Lakers have struggled a bit as well but they're playing the game that they want to play. 

Los Angeles has been able to get the ball in the hands of it's best offensive players and Bynum and Gasol who have 12 rebounds combined have kept Boston from getting second chance points. 

The Celtics won't shoot the ball this poorly the whole game but the rebounding advantage is going to be a real issue. Boston must find a way to either hit the open shots that the Lakers will give them or start hitting the offensive boards and getting put-backs and second chance points. 

Pau Gasol has seven points and seven rebounds while Kevin Garnett leads Boston with six points. 

Lakers 16 Celtics 12. 3:20 left in First Quarter. 

The early going has featured sloppy play that can't make fans of either team happy. 

Six turnovers for the Lakers and 5 of 17 shooting for the Celtics.

Boston has received a nice boost of the bench from rookie Greg Stiemsma but Boston's lack of rebounding and poor shooting are both problems that have been present all season for the Celtics.  

Lakers 11 Celtics 9. 6:13 left in First Quarter. 

Rajon Rondo is reportedly suffering from a poked eye suffered on Friday night against the Trailblazers. The eye is noticeably red and swollen. 

The Celtics who have suffered through offensive struggles all season have experienced a few in the early going. 

Boston is going to have to try and limit the rebounding advantage of the Lakers today.

The Lakers are having Kobe defend Rondo in an attempt to neutralize the decided advantage he'd have had over Derek Fisher. 

Rondo has picked up two early fouls which could put Boston into an extremely tough situation. 

Rajon Rondo is having a career year.
Elsa/Getty Images

This matchup won't be easy for the Boston Celtics. They've struggled on the road this season with a 5-10 record while the Lakers enjoy a 17-2 record at home in the Staples Center. 

The Celtics have won six of seven since the All Star break. Los Angeles is 4-2 since the break. 

The Lakers will enjoy a decided advantage in the low post. The Celtics who have struggled on the glass this season are dead last in the NBA in rebounds per game with only 38.9 per game. The Lakers are the league's best rebounding team at 45.8 per game. 

The Celtics will combat that by trying to take advantage of the point guard match-up between the aging Derek Fisher and Rajon Rondo who is one of the toughest and most athletic point guards in the league. 

Kobe Bryant celebrates the game seven victory over the Celtics in 2010.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The Lakers-Celtics Rivalry is truly one of the greatest in sports. It's in the same category as Yankees-Red Sox, Ohio State-Michigan, and Duke- North Carolina.

This is a game that both teams pay attention to regardless of how good the two teams are in any given season. The history is layered with a veritable who's who of NBA legends.Russell, Havlicek, Chamberlain, West, Magic, Kareem, Jabbar, and McHale.

Not only do the two teams account for 33 NBA Titles but 12 times the two teams have met in a head-to-head matchup with a championship on the line. The Celtics have a 9-3 advantage but the Lakers have won two of the last three match-ups including the 2010 NBA Finals which the Lakers won in seven games.

For a quick rundown on some recent highlights of the rivalry check out this recent article from Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Hadarii Jones. 

Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are a formidable front court duo.
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Starting Lineups

Los Angles Lakers

PG: Derek Fisher

SG: Kobe Bryant

SF: Metta World Peace

PF: Pau Gasol

C: Andrew Bynum

Boston Celtics 

PG: Rajon Rondo

SG: Ray Allen

SF: Paul Pierce

PF: Kevin Garnett

C: Jermaine O'Neal 

The Lakers enter this game dealing with some on and off court issues. Those issues were addressed in a meeting this past Thursday. The Lakers responded by beating Minnesota 105-102. The Lakers had previously dropped two straight road games including a humiliating loss to the Washington Wizards by a score of 106-101.  

The Celtics have had their own issues this season. Boston is coming off two lopsided games. One was a brutal 103-71 loss to division rival Philadelphia on Wednesday. The Celtics rebounded from that by trouncing the Portland Trailblazers in Boston on Friday night by a score of 104-86