Anthony Davis scored 24 points, Austin Reaves added 23 and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 117-96 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

Anthony Davis recorded 24 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots to help the Los Angeles Lakers roll to an easy 117-96 victory over the visiting Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

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The Lakers and Celtics, of course, are longtime bitter rivals. The rivalry came to a head twice in Pierce's Hall of Fame career in the NBA Finals, with the Celtics capturing the title in 2008 and the Lakers defeating the Celtics in '10.

The Los Angeles Lakers had no trouble with the defending champions on Thursday. The Lakers looked like the best version of themselves as they dismantled

In their best performance so far this season, the Lakers embarrassed the defending NBA champion Celtics in a 117-96 rout.

Anthony Davis scored 24 points, Austin Reaves added 23 and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 117-96 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis hangs from the rim after dunking the ball for a basket in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) AP

It's unclear whether the team was dealing with the aftereffects of the Clippers game, or simply regressing back to bad habits that have plagued it over the past month, but the Celtics did not put up much of a fight against the Lakers.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves combine for 67 points as the Lakers put on a show in a dominant, 117-96 win over the rival Boston Celtics.