[Archive 2010-06-04] Basketball: Lakers score 102 to defeat the Celtics in Game 1 of the 2010 NBA Finals

Historical archive — originally published 2010-06-04. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

In basketball, Kobe Bryant hit a three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 102–89 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the 2010 NBA Finals Thursday night in Los Angeles, California. Bryant scored 30 points in the game to lead all scorers.

Bryant was backed-up by a 23-point, 14-rebound effort from Pau Gosol and 15 points from Ron Artest. For Boston, Paul Pierce had 24 points and Kevin Garnett had 16 points.

While both teams have displayed consistent defensive showing, Boston could not match L.A.'s output.

The first quarter was fairly evenly matched, ending 26–21 in favor of the Lakers. At one point the Lakers were up 16–10, but Boston was able to close to within one point. Late points by Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown built the lead to five in the final minute and the Lakers had the chance to go up by more, but Lamar Odom missed a six-foot jump-shot.

In the second quarter, both team remained close until late in the quarter when the Lakers opened an 12-point lead late in the final minute. With just two tenths of a second on the clock, Boston's Rajon Rondo hit a three-pointer to bring the score to within nine: 50–41.

In the third quarter, the Lakers continued to pull away from the Celtics, outpacing them by 11 points. With 28 seconds left in the quarter, Artest hit a three-pointer to put Los Angeles up 84–64. Bryant had 14 points in the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Los Angeles could not extend their lead and in the first four minutes Boston went on a 10-3 run to close the gap to 13 points. Both team scored two more points before Gosol slammed home what turned out to be the game-winning points with 6:20 left to put the Lakers up 91–76. In the final six minutes, Boston outscored the Lakers 13–11, but it was not enough to bring the game back to single digits.

This series is the 12th between the two franchises, dating back to 1959, with the Celtics leading the series 9–2. The Minneapolis Lakers first appeared in the Basketball Association of America — the precursor to the NBA — defeating the Washington Capitols 4–2. The next year, Minneapolis defeated Syracuse Nationals 4–2 in the first NBA. The Celtics first played in the NBA finals in 1957, defeating the St. Louis Hawks 4–3.

In 1959, the Lakers and Celtics first faced each other in the Finals. The Celtics won the series 4–0. In 1962, the Lakers — now in Los Angeles — met for the second time — this time winning 4–3. It was not until the eighth meeting — in 1985 — did the Lakers win.

Before the start of the game, NBA Commisioner David Stern commented on the historic rivalry.

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