Lakers blow lead before topping Celtics in OT

LOS ANGELES — Once the NBA’s fiercest rivalry, the clashes between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers took a backseat recently due to the teams’ mediocre play.

None of that matters to Nick Young, though.

“Just knowing the history,” said Young, the Lakers reserve guard, who grew up in the City of Angels. “Everybody knows the history of the Lakers-Celtics. It’s one of the biggest rivalries ever.”

Guard Jeremy Lin scored 25 points and forward Wesley Johnson had 22, both season highs, as the Lakers ended a seven-game skid with a 118-111 overtime victory over the Celtics on Sunday at Staples Center.

Young added 19 points as the Lakers (14-41) posted just their second win in 18 games and saved face in the extra period after a blowing a nine-point lead in the final 90 seconds of regulation.

“I just wanted the game to keep going because we all hadn’t been making shots like this in a while, so we just wanted to continue that feeling into overtime,” joked Young, who made five of nine attempts on the night, including three of five from 3-point range.

Forward Jae Crowder scored 22 points to lead the Celtics, who lost for the third time in four games. Guards Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley had 21 and 20 points, respectively, for Boston (20-33).

“We just fell short,” said Bradley, who managed 8-of-20 shooting from the floor and 4-of-10 beyond the 3-point arc. “We had point-blank shots at the basket in overtime.”

Los Angeles held a 103-94 lead with 1:28 remaining in regulation after a fadeaway by Young, but the Lakers failed to close the deal.

Boston scored seven consecutive points to pull within 103-101 after a 3-pointer by Bradley with 18.7 seconds remaining. Two free throws by Young with 12.4 seconds left gave Los Angeles a four-point cushion. Crowder’s layup cut the deficit to two again with 8.5 seconds left before Young missed one of two free throws with 8.2 seconds.

Bradley forced overtime with a 3-pointer from behind the top of the key at the horn.

In the extra session, the Lakers jumped to a 112-106 lead in the opening two minutes. Boston cut the gap to 112-109 on a three-point play by Crowder at 1:19. After the teams exchanged baskets, Lakers guard Wayne Ellington hit two free throws with 16.1 seconds left to cap the win.

Los Angeles hit 51.2 percent of its shots compared to 42.9 percent for the Celtics. Lin connected on 10 of 15 attempts, and Johnson hit nine of 11 shots.

“I thought Jeremy Lin killed us the whole night,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said. “He was really effective in a lot of ways, not only scoring the ball but also getting into the paint and making plays for others.”

The game swung in the Lakers’ favor midway through the fourth quarter. After Young’s 3-point bucket gave Los Angeles a 91-87 lead, Thomas was called for an offensive foul on the other end by referee Tony Brothers. Thomas was called for a technical foul after he slammed the ball to the court, then was ejected when he threw the ball to Brothers with 5:03 remaining.

“He has to be there at the end,” Stevens said.

Thomas was playing his first game in a Boston uniform after being obtained in a trade with the Phoenix Suns. He wasn’t available for comment after the game but apologized to teammates for his behavior.

“We understand he made a mistake, but you can’t fault him for that,” said Celtics guard Marcus Smart, who finished with 11 points. “He’s passionate. It was a mistake that anyone else could make. You could live with that type of mistake because he was out there giving his all.”

Earlier Sunday, the Celtics announced that forward Jared Sullinger, the team’s leading scorer (14.4 points) and rebounder (8.1 rebounds), would miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his left foot.

“Obviously, it’s a tough loss for our team, but we’re going to have to figure out how to be good in his absence by committee,” Stevens said. “Anytime you lose a really good player, you have to figure it out as a group. You don’t necessarily figure it out with one person covering what he’s done.”

NOTES: Boston G Evan Turner finished with 12 points and 12 assists, but he made just five of 19 shots from the floor. … Celtics G Phil Pressey, the son of Lakers assistant coach Paul Pressey, did not play Sunday. … The Celtics won the teams’ initial meeting of the season 113-96 on Dec. 5 at TD Garden. … Boston caps its three-game swing at the Phoenix Suns on Monday. … Los Angeles visits the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.