LeBron James, Lakers Hang On to Beat Jayson Tatum, Celtics in Dramatic Finish

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 96-95 on Saturday at TD Garden in Boston.

Anthony Davis, who returned to the court after missing one game with a sore quad, posted 27 points and 14 rebounds. LeBron James posted 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum (30 points) and Jaylen Brown (28 points) led the way.

The Lakers led 96-89 with 1:40 left, but the C's scored six straight to cut the deficit to one. Kemba Walker blocked Davis' shot with 10 seconds remaining and corralled the ball, giving the C's the chance to win the game.

However, Walker's mid-range jumper missed the mark, and Daniel Theis' putback did as well as time expired.

The 15-6 Lakers broke a two-game losing streak. The 10-8 Celtics lost their second straight.

Notable Performances

Lakers G/F LeBron James: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists

Lakers F Anthony Davis: 27 points, 14 rebounds

Lakers PF/C Montrezl Harrell: 16 points, 5 rebounds

Celtics F Jayson Tatum: 30 points, 9 rebounds

Celtics G Jaylen Brown: 28 points

Celtics C Daniel Theis: 14 points, 7 rebounds

AD Dominates After 1-Game Absence

Davis wasn't a guarantee to suit up in Saturday's game, as he was listed as questionable with a right quad contusion in the NBA's official injury report at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Head coach Frank Vogel told reporters the Lakers weren't even sure Davis would play as the big man went through pregame warm-ups. He was, therefore, a game-time decision.

AD ultimately gave it a go, though, and the Lakers are undoubtedly glad he did, as the big man catapulted L.A. into a huge road win.

Davis showcased his versatility in this one, notably hitting a corner three-pointer as the shot clock expired in the first quarter:

AD finished the first half with 18 points and 10 rebounds, symbolizing the team's first-half paint dominance, as noted by Lakers reporter Mike Trudell:

Davis slowed down in the second half, although he still had nine points and four boards in the final two quarters. Still, his first-half showing gave the Lakers the cushion they needed to hold off the Celtics, and AD was able to get some measure of revenge on a team that crushed L.A. one year ago:

The Lakers were also able to ward off a potential three-game losing streak in the process, propelling the team to one game back of the Utah Jazz for first in the Western Conference.

Brown, Tatum Sensational in Defeat

Brown and Tatum did all they could do for the Celtics on a tough night in Boston that saw Marcus Smart leave the game with a left calf strain in the fourth quarter.

Losing Smart hurt down the stretch, and cold shooting from most of the rest of Brown and Tatum's teammates ultimately doomed Boston's chances as well.

But Brown and Tatum nearly pulled the team to victory, in part because they were phenomenal on the offensive end.

Tatum cooly hit a stepback three to get things going:

He later slithered down the lane for two:

Brown weathered some contact and put home a tough bucket of his own later on:

That proved to be a theme for Brown on this night:

Tatum had a great second half. With all due respect to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, this may be the pass of the year so far:

He also knocked down this floater over AD:

It ultimately wasn't meant to be for the C's, but the future is still bright in Boston with Tatum and Brown co-running the show.

What's Next?

The Celtics will visit the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET in San Francisco's Chase Center. L.A. will head to Atlanta to play the Hawks on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in State Farm Arena.