Three-time NBA champion James Worthy sharply criticized the Los Angeles Lakers after Sunday’s 111-89 blowout loss to the Boston Celtics on February 22, questioning the team’s pride and heart, and suggesting Luka Doncic may not have led effectively.
Jaylen Brown scored 32 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, while Payton Pritchard added 30 points and eight assists with six 3-pointers, helping the Celtics sweep the season series and gain momentum in the Eastern Conference race.
Brown and Pritchard combined for 19 second-half points each, with Pritchard sealing the win on a step-back 3-pointer with 3:24 remaining, prompting scattered boos as the Lakers emptied their bench in frustration at home for the third loss to Boston in weeks.
Luka Doncic posted 25 points, LeBron James scored 20 points and reached his 43,000th career point milestone, and Austin Reaves added 15, yet the Lakers could not match the Celtics‘ intensity, falling to their second-lowest point total of the season.
Repeated technical fouls against Reaves, Marcus Smart, and head coach JJ Redick highlighted the Lakers‘ frustration, while Boston comfortably controlled the contest between two franchises boasting a combined 35 NBA championships and decades of rivalry.
“No heart. Weak,” Worthy said to Spectrum SportsNet. “It’s the Boston Celtics without [Jayson Tatum]. You’re at home. To me, you show no respect for the uniform. When you come out and get outrebounded like that. They [Celtics] sniffed a weakness and dominated.”
Worthy also highlighted the Lakers‘ struggle on the boards, noting the Celtics scored 17 second-chance points from nine offensive rebounds, demonstrating the team’s inability to match Boston‘s aggression and making the defeat particularly painful during Pat Riley‘s tribute night.
“They’ve got to decide who they want to be. To come out at home with no [heart] was just tough to watch,” Worthy added, criticizing the team’s mental approach and implicitly questioning leadership, as technical fouls and inconsistent effort hindered their play.
Doncic admits Lakers couldn’t handle Boston brute force
The 1988 NBA Finals MVP appeared to take a subtle jab at Doncic, observing him complaining to referees about no-calls while teammates received technicals, pointing to leadership concerns as the Lakers struggled to regain composure amid Boston‘s physical dominance.
The Lakers honored Pat Riley during halftime with a bronze statue unveiling outside the arena, celebrating the coach who earned six rings over two decades, including four titles as head of the 1980s Showtime Lakers, even as his former team struggled on the court.
Doncic, James, and Reaves played together for only the 12th time this season with the Lakers nearing full health, though backup center Jaxson Hayes left with an ankle injury before halftime, further complicating Los Angeles‘ effort to overcome Boston‘s physicality.
“I think they were very physical,” Doncic said of the Celtics. “They were playing great defense, so we need to be better on offense. To score only 89 points, that’s not like us. Especially in the defensive end, you got to match the physicality.”
Analysts noted that the Lakers‘ technical fouls allowed Boston to gain momentum, particularly in the second quarter when Reaves and Smart picked up penalties, letting the Celtics extend a 34-33 lead to five points and set the tone for the second half.
A third-quarter technical on Redick compounded frustration, allowing Boston to push their lead to 11 points, and afterward, Redick did not mince words, claiming officiating decisions cost the Lakers key momentum and contributed directly to their blowout defeat.
