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.

His presence on the floor allows the Lakers to thrive in transition and provides a safety net for LeBron James, who often relies on Davis to anchor the defense. Without Davis, the

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.

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 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.

Celtics guard Jaylen Brown gave a positive update after a scary ankle injury he suffered on Wednesday against the Clippers.

Get real-time NBA basketball coverage and scores as Boston Celtics takes on Los Angeles Lakers. We bring you the latest game previews, live stats, and recaps on CBSSports.com

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.