Boston has been inconsistent for weeks — a stark difference from last season’s joyride — but is still among the best defending NBA champions of this century.

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 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. LeBron James had 20 points and 14 rebounds after being selected for the All-Star Game for the 21st consecutive season earlier in the day.

Los Angeles Lakers Top Performers Anthony Davis – 24 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks Austin Reaves – 23 points, 6 assists, 4 3PM LeBron James – 20 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists Boston Clippers Top Performers Kristaps Porziņģis – 22 points,

Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves powered the Los Angeles Lakers to an impressive 117-96 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. Davis scored 24 points, while Reaves added 23 in a dominant performance that saw the Lakers pull away early and never look back.

One night later, Boston players all but shrugged their shoulders after falling to the Lakers 117-96 on the second leg of a back-to-back. Kristaps Porziņģis, who has been critical of the Celtics after their worst games recently, sounded ready to dump the latest poor result into the nearest trash can and forget about it for good.