Lakers Hold Off Celtics in Game Three

LA Lakers 87, Boston 81

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- It wasn't pretty, but then again, ugly is all it takes. Kobe Bryant scored 36 points and Sasha Vujacic added 20 off the bench as the Los Angeles Lakers executed down the stretch en route to a crucial 87-81 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game Three of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night.

Bryant torched Ray Allen for two crucial buckets in the final 1:06 for the Lakers, who trail the Celtics, 2-1, in the best-of-seven series. With the rest of the starters struggling, Bryant and Vujacic were the lone double-figure scorers for Los Angeles, which improved to 9-0 at Staples Center this postseason - one shy of tying the NBA record for consecutive home victories in the playoffs.

Still, the Lakers face an uphill battle in their quest for the title. Only three teams have lost the first two contests in the championship series and recovered to win it all. Los Angeles will try to take a step toward becoming the fourth in Game Four here on Thursday.

It bodes well for the Lakers that Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol each had off nights and they still were able to record the win. The 7-foot Gasol managed just nine points, while Odom, who battled foul trouble, scored just four. Ironically, the Celtics were in the same boat. Ray Allen tried to pick up the slack for Boston's slumping "Big Three." He scored 25 points, including four 3-pointers, but Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce combined for just 19. Garnett was 6-of-21 from the floor and Pierce was even worse, shooting 2-of-14.

Things looked bleak for the Lakers in the third quarter, when the Celtics dug themselves out of an early double-digit hole to take a four-point lead on consecutive baskets from Garnett. However, Bryant and Vujacic would take care of that down the stretch. After Boston had gotten to within two points on Garnett's spinning bank shot, Vujacic responded with a 3-pointer from the wing en route to a 81-76 advantage for Los Angeles. After two free throws by Derek Fisher, Bryant nailed a jumper near the top of the key and followed it up with a leaner in the lane with 38 seconds remaining to provide the final margin.

It was much-needed win for Los Angeles, which nearly erased a 24-point, fourth-quarter deficit in a 108-102 loss in Sunday's Game Two. But it was ultimately done in by its lack of aggressiveness, shooting just 10 free throws, while Boston was 27-of-38 from the line. The Lakers shot more than double that amount by halftime Tuesday en route to 21-of-34 mark from the line. The free-throw turnaround came just hours after disgraced former referee Tim Donaghy told federal investigators that officials altered the outcomes of playoff series in 2002 and 2005.