LOS ANGELES — Isaiah Thomas scored 26 points and the Boston Celtics clinched a playoff berth while besting Kobe Bryant for the final time with a 107-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.

Jae Crowder added 22 points for the Celtics, who blew an early 17-point lead and survived a tense fourth quarter in their first game since snapping the Golden State Warriors’ NBA-record 54-game home winning streak.

Bryant scored 34 points in his final showdown with the Lakers’ historic rivals, putting up the second highest-scoring performance of his farewell season.

He hit a jumper with 56 seconds left, and Julius Randle’s three-point play moments later trimmed Boston’s lead to four points. But Bryant missed two late jumpers, and the Celtics secured their eighth playoff berth in nine years.

Randle had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson added 17 points in the Western Conference-worst Lakers’ 60th loss of the season.

Evan Turner scored eight of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, while Amir Johnson had 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics. They also moved a half-game ahead of Miami and Charlotte for fourth place in the tight Eastern Conference standings.

Boston has yet to win a postseason series under coach Brad Stevens.

Thomas scored 13 points in a 1:54 span of the second quarter for the Celtics, who led by 17 points in the first half. Los Angeles erased the lead in the third quarter, but Crowder kicked off an 18-8 run to start the fourth quarter.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.