LOS ANGELES (AP) Anthony Davis scored 24 points, Austin Reaves added 23 and the ... Kristaps Porzingis led Boston with 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 17. Los Angeles, which has won two straight ...

Boston has been inconsistent for weeks — a stark difference from last season’s joyride — but is still among the best defending NBA champions of this century.

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. LeBron James had 20 points and 14 rebounds after being selected for the All-Star Game for the 21st consecutive season earlier in the day.

BOSTON — Kristaps Porzingis scored 26 of his season-high 34 points in the first half, and the Boston Celtics coasted to a 122-100 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

Amen Thompson drove for the game-winner with 1.3 seconds left to lift the Houston Rockets to a gritty 114-112 victory over the NBA champion Boston Celtics on Monday.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Jalen Brunson had 20 points and six assists for the Knicks, who scored 143 points for the second straight game and won their fourth straight. New York (31-16) won for the 16th time in its past 22 games.

Did the Lakers’ 117-96 victory on Thursday night provide an impetus lasting beyond one game, or was it an outlier against a team coming off an overtime game the night before?

The Los Angeles Lakers delivered a statement win over their historic arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics, solidifying their position in the playoff race. With a 117

Davis publicly called for roster help shortly before tipoff of Thursday's 117-96 win over defending champion Boston.

Also, after not losing a single game by double digits from the start of the season through the end of December, the Celtics have since suffered defeats of 13, 13, 17 and 21 points, all in their last 10 games. Those also were the only games this season in which Boston failed to score 100 points.

The Celtics looked precisely like a team on the second night of a back-to-back on Thursday, falling in a 117-96 blowout to the Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers had no trouble with the defending champions on Thursday. The Lakers looked like the best version of themselves as they dismantled