Pressure on Celtics Heading into Pivotal Game 4
Technically, tonight's outing against the visiting Lakers isn't a must-win game for the Celtics. But Boston's prospects of winning a second championship in three years would fade fast with a second straight loss to the defending champs on its home court.
Los Angeles grabbed a two-games-to-one lead in the NBA Finals and regained home-court advantage in the best-of-seven showdown with Tuesday's 91-84 victory in Beantown.
Derek Fisher made five baskets in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night to lead the Lakers. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 29 points, but it was Fisher's 11 fourth-quarter points that clinched the win and gave the Lakers a 2-1.
Lakers Get On Fisher's Back and Climb over Celtics
They'll play Game 5 in Boston Sunday, before heading back to L.A. for Games 6 and 7, if necessary.
Celtics star Paul Pierce has only 13 field goals through three games of the NBA Finals. If he doesn't get back on track, Boston doesn't have much of a chance, CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman says.
The Celtics' leading scorer in the regular season picked up his fifth foul in the first minute of the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 3 win.
Pierce finished with 15 points, and that included a meaningless layup with 5.1 seconds left, after a rough second game when he missed nine of 11 shots and scored 10 points.
Pierce said Wednesday he hasn't been shooting particularly well but that foul trouble has kept him from establishing a consistent rhythm on offense by sending him to the bench.