Tune-In Tidbits: ABC Saturday Primetime, Jan. 30, 2021
Jayson Tatum matched his career high with 41 points in the last game between the Celtics and Lakers on Feb. 23, 2020.
The Lakers and Celtics square off in the first ABC Saturday Primetime of the season (8:30 p.m. ET). Here are five key stats to know about the matchup.
• The Celtics enter Saturday with two of the top 12 scorers in the league in Jaylen Brown (27.1 ppg, 8th) and Jayson Tatum (26.5 ppg, 12th). They will face a Lakers team with the league’s top defensive rating (105.0) and allows the 4th-lowest effective field goal percentage (51.1%).
• A key part of the Lakers’ defensive success is limiting 3-point attempts and 3-point percentage. The Lakers have held teams to 34.3% shooting on 32.2 3-point attempts per game, ranking 3rd and 6th in the league, respectively.
• Over the past five games, LeBron James is averaging 30.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists while shooting 53.7% from the field and 52.8% from beyond the arc. Through the first 20 games of the season, LeBron is averaging career highs in both 3-point attempts (6.6 per game) and 3-point percentage (41.7%).
• The Celtics average 19.6 points off turnovers per game (5th in NBA), partially due to their 9.1 steals per game (T-3rd in NBA) and 17.3 deflections (T-4th in NBA). Jayson Tatum (5.3 ppg) and Jaylen Brown (4.5 ppg) rank 2nd and 6th, respectively, in player points off turnovers.
• After opening the season with 10 straight road wins, the Lakers have lost back-to-back road games in Philadelphia and Detroit before heading to Boston for Saturday’s game. The Lakers have not lost three straight road games since dropping five in a row in March 2019.
