Bryant ‘s double-double carries Lakers past Celtics, 112-104

The Celtics have won four straight and have held all four of these opponents under 100 points.

The Celtics began the third quarter with some punch in the form of a 7-0 run for a 65-62 lead.

Otto Porter led Washington with 20 points. Isaiah Thomas scored 21 points and Even Turner added 19 points to lead the Celtics.

After averaging just 6.6 points in November, Kelly Olynyk is averaging 13.2 points in December.

The Garden taunted him with endless loops of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” and the Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston amid the Lakers’ Game 6 series-clinching loss to the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals”.

“It’s such a surreal experience being able to play here with this rivalry and have this kind of reception”, Bryant said on Time Warner Cable after the game.

Bryant offered a hearty laugh as he said those words.

Eventually, the Celtics decided they didn’t want to take a risk on drafting a high schooler.

Then the game started and so did the jeers. When they trailed by a dozen and lost on offense in the fourth quarter, Turner repeatedly drove to the basket, breathing life into the fading green. Just think how different things would’ve been if Kobe had the opportunity to carry on the legacy of Larry Bird. Los Angeles entered Wednesday 5-27 and is headed for the draft lottery.

If you haven’t heard, someone is making their lone trip of the season to Boston on Wednesday night.

To be fair, it was probably the most cheers Bryant has received at the Garden in almost a decade. All that changed in 2007 after Boston made several deals to acquire All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to go along with homegrown All-Star Paul Pierce.

This Boston team has experienced some of its success of old lately with a season-high four consecutive wins.

In the final minutes, Lakers fans yelled “Kobe Bryant”, when he made a pair of free throws to give the Lakers a 110-103 lead with 25.8 seconds left.

“Our focus can’t be on (Kobe)”.

Marcus Smart was benched for the first quarter after missing the team’s walk-through due to a flat tire, Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters after the game. “But after all the years of being here and playing in this league and knowing how knowledgeable they are about the game of basketball, it didn’t surprise me”.

That visit included a pregame tribute from Hornets owner Michael Jordan.

Deep down, Bryant was a die-hard Lakers fan, but the Celtics say they weren’t aware of that at the time – nor did Bryant relay that fact to them at any point. “He’s put in 20 hard years and he’s given everything he’s got every single night”. Like I said, the fans here are unbelievable as far as their knowledge of the game.

“(The atmosphere in Boston) is going to be interesting. “He’s about as social as I am, so for him to take the time to record that message really means a lot”.

But Boston wouldn’t surrender its four-game winning streak to the hated Lakers without scrapping its way back. The reaction of the TD Garden crowd to Bryant was freakish.