On Wednesday the Lakers and Celtics met in a battle that would last until the final buzzer. In the end the Lakers were victorious and ended a 5-game win streak that Boston had built up. The final ended up being 88-87 in favor of the Lakers. The win now puts the Lakers at 15-11 this season. It improves their poor away record to just 4-9 this season. The Celtics, meanwhile move to 14-11 on the year as their home record drops to 10-7. The game was very competitive and it was evident both teams really wanted it as the rivalry is still alive and well. 

The Lakers were led by Bryant who scored 27 in the contest. This led all scorers in the game from either side. Bynum added 16 points of his own and led the team with 17 rebounds. The team shot poorly in the fourth which allowed the Celtics to tie the game and force overtime. the win now puts the Lakers just 1.5 games back of the Clippers for the division lead.

The Celtics were led by Ray Allen who scored 22 in the game. Kevin Garnett led the team in rebounds with 12. As the game was closing Garnett got an open look at a game winner and shot but missed. It was collected on a tip attempt by Ray Allen who got off a shot at the basket before time expired. the shot looked like it would have led to a Laker loss, but it was blocked by Oaul Gasol who stayed with the play and ultimately won the game for LA. The team is now 3.5 games back in the division as they still try to catch the first place 76ers.