The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers wrote the latest chapter in their historic rivalry as they met for the 2nd and final time this regular season. While the Celtics have the best record in the NBA, the Lakers are caught in a battle for a Playoff spot. After the Lakers suffered a heartbreaking loss in their last matchup against the Celtics, LA fans were hoping for revenge. Ahead of the game, Celtics star Jayson Tatum gave tribute to his idol and Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

The Celtics entered this game on the back of a 3-game losing streak. On the other hand, the Lakers had 3 wins in their last 4 games. Nonetheless, Tatum grabbed all the headlines ahead of tipoff as he entered the arena in a Kobe Bryant shirt.

However, this irked Lakers fans as the shirt had Kobe in a Celtics practice jersey from the time of his pre-draft workout with the franchise in 1996. Tatum’s shirt ignited the NBA fandom and it drew furious reactions from fans.

NBA fans are furious with Jayson Tatum’s tribute to Kobe Bryant

While Tatum has often mentioned his admiration and respect for Bryant, being a Celtic makes it difficult for him to be in Lakers fans’ good books. They made their feelings known along with the rest of the NBA world on Twitter.

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To rub salt in the Lakers fans’ wounds, the Celtics beat their rivals in a nail-biting game. Boston came out on top 125-121 in OT after the officials missed a foul call on LeBron James at the end of regulation.

Celtics hand Lakers a heartbreaking loss

The Lakers were enraged with the no-call on James. Beverley even got himself a technical foul after showing the replay on a camera to the official. Despite the defeat, the Lakers will be content with their performance at one of the most difficult arenas in the country. This game marked the beginning of a 5-game road trip for the Lakers and they will be hoping to build on this performance ahead of their next game vs Brooklyn Nets.

On the other hand, the Celtics broke their losing streak and improved their league-best record to 36-15. Jaylen Brown took over in OT as he ended up with 37 points and 9 rebounds. Meanwhile, Tatum had 30 points and 11 rebounds on a poor shooting night for the MVP candidate.

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What are your thoughts on Tatum’s tribute to Bryant? Let us know in the comments.