Lakers vs. Celtics Final Score: Kobe Bryant goes off but Lakers lose 107-100

The Los Angeles Lakers lost 107-100 to the Boston Celtics, but not without Kobe Bryant throwing one last defiant punch at his hated rivals. Bryant scored a game-high 34 points, breaking the 30-point mark for just the fourth time this season and finishing with his second-highest scoring total on the year. His effort to leave Boston fans with the taste of defeat one last time wasn't enough, though.

Isaiah Thomas led the way for Boston, scoring 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting while making four of his nine three-point attempts. Evan Turner tossed in 17 points, missing just five shots on the night, though he also took an inadvertent shot from Julius Randle in the final moments that left him running back to the locker room without ever looking back at the court.

Byron Scott switched up the Lakers' rotation, leaving regulars like Lou Williams and Brandon Bass on the bench for DNP-CD's while he focused on playing the youth in their allotted minutes. D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson each played over 35 minutes, while Tarik Black soaked up 19 minutes. Russell had an uneven game. He spread his stats around the sheet with eight points, nine rebounds and six assists, but also had six turnovers while shooting 4-of-14 from the field.

The loss was disappointing, but the thrill of the game while Staples Centers rocked and rolled in hopes of Kobe delivering one last defeat to the doorstep of the Celtics wasn't a bad consolation prize. The Lakers "visit" the Los Angeles Clippers next on Tuesday.