Legendary matches have defined the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics rivalry for decades. From Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird to Kobe Bryant vs. Paul Pierce, some of basketball’s greatest icons have faced off in this historic matchup.
Saturday night’s matchup will be no different, with LeBron James and Luka Doncic facing a Celtics team led by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis.
Both teams are presently the No. 2 seeds in their respective conferences, making this a potential NBA Finals preview. The Lakers enter the game on an eight-game winning run and will aim to improve their 15-14 road record at a vital moment in the season. Meanwhile, Boston will look to even the season series after losing 117-96 to LA on January 23.
Ahead of the highly anticipated game, the NBA released a special post on its official X account that highlighted James and Tatum’s elite company in league history.
According to the NBA, James and Tatum are the only two players ever to reach 13,000 points, 4,000 rebounds, and 2,000 assists before turning 27.
Tatum, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Monday, is having another outstanding season. The six-time All-Star is on course to become the first Celtics player to average 25 or more points per game for four straight seasons, presently averaging 26.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists while shooting 45.5% from the floor.
Meanwhile, James continues to defy time in his 22nd season, making an MVP-level impact at the age of 40. The four-time MVP averages 25.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.5 assists while shooting an impressive 51.8% from the field. Earlier this week, during the Lakers’ victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, James became the first player in NBA history to reach 50,000 total career points.
