LeBron James Scores 23 in Return from Injury as Lakers Lose to Celtics 130-108

The Boston Celtics bounced back from a 110-99 loss to the Atlanta Hawks with a 130-108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at TD Garden, spoiling LeBron James' return to the lineup after an extended absence due to an abdominal injury.

Boston moved to 8-8 on the season with the win, while the Lakers dropped below .500, moving to 8-9.

Notable Stats

Jayson Tatum, SF, BOS: 37 PTS, 11 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 1 BLK

Anthony Davis, PF, LAL: 31 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 3 BLK

Marcus Smart, PG, BOS: 22 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL

LeBron James, SF, LAL: 23 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL

Jayson Tatum Dominant in Win

It should come as no surprise when we say Tatum had a dominant performance against the Lakers on Friday. It was his second straight game with at least 34 points after he put up that number against the Hawks on Wednesday.

However, Tatum got out to a rough start in the first quarter, putting up just three points and one rebound on 2-of-9 shooting. In the second quarter, though, he started to catch fire, putting up 14 points, four rebounds, one assist, and two steals.

The 23-year-old added 20 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal after the half to power the Celtics past the Lakers. It was arguably his most impressive performance of the season.

Tatum entered the game averaging 24.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 39.6 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from deep, so his big night should come as no surprise.

In addition to Tatum, Dennis Schroder and Marcus Smart impressed, combining for 43 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. What's even more impressive is that the C's took down the Lakers without Jaylen Brown, who continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

While Boston has been rather inconsistent this season, Friday's win over L.A. is the perfect stepping stone for the Celtics to catch fire down the stretch.

LeBron James Impressive in Return from Injury Despite Loss

James entered Friday's game against the Celtics having missed L.A.'s last eight games with an abdominal strain. That didn't slow him down, though, as he kicked off the first quarter in impressive fashion.

James opened up the first with seven points on 4-for-4 shooting, one rebound, one assist and a steal. A highlight from the opening quarter was Talen Horton-Tucker's bounce pass by Grant Williams to hit James in stride for the dunk.

James continued his impressive return with six points, two rebounds and another steal in the second quarter before tacking on another four points just after halftime.

However, the four-time NBA champion finished the fourth quarter with just six points and two rebounds as the entire Lakers' offense struggled.

While James was impressive on Friday night, so were Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. However, L.A.'s two other starters -- Horton-Tucker and Avery Bradley -- were below average, combining for just eight points, six rebounds and three assists.

Despite the loss, just getting James back into the lineup was a good sign for the Lakers as they continue to build some chemistry among their new-look roster.

If the Lakers have any hope of improving, they'll have to find a way to take some of the workload off the trio of James, Davis and Westbrook.

What's Next?

The Celtics host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, while the Lakers won't play again until Sunday when they visit the Detroit Pistons.