Celtics Survive Kobe's 34 Points, Beat Lakers 107-100
LOS ANGELES (AP) — 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.
(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
