LOS ANGELES — Isaiah Thomas scored 18 points and the Boston Celtics rode a 70-point first half to a 115-95 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

Jae Crowder scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half, when the Atlantic Division-leading Celtics shot 51 percent on the way to opening their road trip 2-0.

Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 20 points off the bench in the third quarter in their sixth straight loss. They haven’t won since before the All-Star break and have dropped four in a row at Staples Center.

Trailing by 31 in the third, Clarkson singlehandedly cut the Lakers’ deficit to 15 by scoring their final 13 points. The Celtics managed just four points over the final 4½ minutes of the quarter, but took a 93-78 lead into the fourth.

Thomas drew aahs from the crowd with a pretty assist before the Lakers’ run, tossing the ball off the glass to set up Jaylen Brown’s dunk.

The Lakers went cold early in the fourth and the Celtics capitalized with a 10-0 run that extended their lead to 105-82. Brown scored six in a row in the spurt while Thomas watched from the bench.

Boston closed the first half on a 19-6 run, with five players contributing, led by Thomas’ six points. A pair of 3-pointers by Nick Young accounted for the Lakers’ only points.

D’Angelo Russell added 17 points for the Lakers, while Al Horford had 17 for the Celtics.

Copy the Story Link

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.