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LOS ANGELES -- The Boston Celtics engage in a rarity Monday night by playing consecutive-day, regular-season road games in the same arena at the Staples Center (Sunday against the Lakers; Monday against the Clippers). According to Elias Sports Bureau, Boston hasn't done this since playing the Houston Rockets on consecutive days at Hofheinz Pavilion on the campus of the University of Houston on Jan. 2-3, 1973.

Playing consecutive games at the Staples Center isn't as foreign for Western Conference foes and, according to Elias, there have been 23 previous instances where teams have played consecutive-day road games against the Lakers and Clippers since the building opened for the 1999-2000 season. Of those games two-game series, 16 teams split the two games, five lost both, and only two emerged with a pair of victories (Memphis in Dec. 2004 and Dallas in Oct. 2009).

Both the Celtics and Clippers are coming off losses Sunday at the Staples Center. Boston fumbled away a matinee against the Lakers, while the Clippers fell to the Warriors in the nightcap.

Shelley Smith catches up with ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg and ESPN Los Angeles' Dave McMenamin to see how the Celtics and Lakers will move forward following the Lakers' 97-94 win over Boston on Sunday.

LOS ANGELES -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers didn't try to sugarcoat it while addressing his team before Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

"The Lakers are bigger than us -- they are going to be bigger before the game, in the middle of the game, and after the game," Rivers said to reporters, relaying his message to his team. "So we’re not going to grow today, but we have advantages in other places and that’s how we are going to have to play."

That's a message he'll be telling his team for the foreseeable future unless it can find some big-man talent somewhere (anywhere?!), particularly with Thursday's trade deadline rapidly approaching.

The Celtics currently have two big men with questionable futures as Jermaine O'Neal contemplates potential season-ending wrist surgery, while Chris Wilcox is seeking further tests for a cardiac ailment that could likewise end his year. All of which leaves Boston thin on big men and searching for a serviceable 7-footer by any means necessary.

"Obviously, we’re looking to grab a big from somewhere, hopefully not by giving away a player, but hopefully by going another route," Rivers said. "With Chris’ situation, the tough part about it is, we don’t know if he’s going to come back or not, and the [trade] deadline is coming up. So the quicker, obviously, we find that out, it does help us. We need another [big man] regardless, so we’ll be out there. I don’t think there’s a bunch of teams lining up to help the Celtics."

The Celtics' preference seemingly would be to swing a trade for a proven big man, which would prevent them from having to eat a contract by waiving a player from their maxed-out 15-man roster. But Rivers stressed the team wouldn't sacrifice future financial flexibility to navigate that path. Which means the team might have to investigate less optimal ways to free space (releasing rarely used Marquis Daniels or buying out O'Neal if he can't return would be potential avenues).

As if the Celtics needed anything else to worry about with their bigs, rookie center Greg Stiemsma, who did not play the final 13 minutes on Sunday, left the Staples Center with a walking boot on his right foot, apparently a precautionary measure as he moved around the locker room without issue immediately after the game. Stiemsma endured right foot ailments while in college at Wisconsin.

Stiemsma logged 14 minutes in Sunday's loss to the Lakers, making his only shot while chipping in 2 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks (including one on both Gasol and Bynum). The Celtics leaned heavier on Kevin Garnett (35 minutes) while using Stiemsma as the only reserve big, but Rivers noted that he'll attempt to drive Garnett's minutes back down Monday on the tail end of a back-to-back against the Clippers.

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LOS ANGELES -- Rapid reaction after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 97-94 Sunday afternoon at the Staples Center:

HOW THE GAME WAS LOST
The Lakers' Big Three of Kobe Bryant (24 points, 7 assists), Andrew Bynum (20 points, 14 rebounds) and Pau Gasol (13 points, 13 rebounds) were bigger than Boston's Big Three of Paul Pierce (13 points, 9 assists), Kevin Garnett (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Ray Allen (17 points, 6 assists), particularly when it mattered most down the stretch. Rajon Rondo chipped in 24 points and 10 assists for the Celtics, but it wasn't enough as Boston allowed the Lakers to shoot 50.7 percent from the floor.

TURNING POINT
The Celtics were up five with 2:41 to go when Bynum and Bryant took over. Bryant hit a pair of jumpers, while Bynum added an alley-oop and a little hook shot as the Lakers scored the final eight points of the game, all while Boston missed its final six shots.

BOLD PLAY OF THE GAME
Coming out of a timeout with a two-point lead and less than three minutes to play, the Celtics drew up a beauty that featured Garnett catching a lob near the basket and kicking the ball out to Allen, who had a free-throw line screen from Brandon Bass. Allen drilled the 3-pointer to push Boston's lead to 94-89 with 2:41 to go. It should have been enough, but the Celtics went ice cold from the floor. Ultimately, it was Bryant's pull-up jumper off a Gasol screen with 41.7 seconds to go that proved to be the boldest of the day as it was the winner.

C'S SURVIVE AN UGLY FIRST HALF
The Celtics connected on a mere six of 24 shots in the first quarter (which ESPN Los Angeles colleague Dave McMenamin keenly pointed out was Bryant's stat line from Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals), and despite trailing by as much as 15 in the first half, the Celtics rallied to trim their deficit to a bucket before intermission. The Lakers were plagued by 12 first-half turnovers, which neutralized their shooting 51.4 percent. Boston shot just 39.5 percent before the break, but started fast in the second half to rally.

STAR SIGHTINGS
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, rocking hipster glasses and his signature TB12 hat, sat courtside for Sunday's game (sitting opposite the Boston bench in the first half before moving near the Lakers bench after intermission). Maria Menounos wore a Pierce jersey in support of the Celtics (she's a Medford, Mass. native). Other familiar faces in the crowd (other than Jack Nicholson): David Beckham, Tobey Maguire and Seal.

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics had a chance to start their season-long eight-game road trip on the right foot, but stumbled late. Not only were they battling the Lakers giants without two centers (Chris Wilcox and Jermaine O'Neal), but Boston was fighting a cross-country flight, daylight savings time and a matinee west coast start. Even after digging themselves a 15-point first-half hole, the Celtics were in prime position to win and couldn't generate the clinching hoop in the final two minutes. The Lakers sweep the season series, but Boston can't sit around worrying about it for long. They are back at the Staples Center again on Monday night for another national TV battle, against the Los Angeles Clippers.

LOS ANGELES -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers suggested that the cardiac ailment that Chris Wilcox is suffering from could be related to the aorta, similar to what Jeff Green endured earlier this season, and said Wilcox will undergo more tests next week to determine the severity of his condition.

A preseason physical detected an aortic aneurysm for Green, who underwent surgery in January at the Cleveland Clinic to repair the issue and he is sitting out the entire 2011-12 season with hopes of resuming his basketball career next season. Rivers was uncertain the next step for Wilcox, but admitted he might be bound for the same facility with the potential same outlook.

"There’s not much I can say; they have a bunch of tests to run and it’s what it is," said Rivers. "Obviously team-wise, it’s a hell of a blow for us.

"[Wilcox and Rivers have] talked a lot. It’s not a great place. It’s scary, it really is. You think about it, the chances of having one of these in a year, it’s pretty minute. The chance of having two is like impossible. There’s a chance that might happen, we just have to wait and see. But I always try to look at the human part of it. The fact that, if something is wrong and we found it, I’d rather find it than not. At the end of the day, we’re lucky, and that’s what I told our team, that we’re very lucky that this happened -- not unlucky. I think that’s the way you have to look at it, and that’s the way we’re looking at it."

Rivers said Wilcox was seemingly aware of a potential predisposition to a heart condition and had undergone monthly screenings in recent seasons to monitor for red flags. At one of those routine screenings this week, the tests came back with the troubling news.

"He’s never had a condition," said Rivers. "I think we all have different things that you’re a candidate for. I think he was maybe in that [category], but it was never a condition that was risky or anything like that. Unfortunately, now it may be."

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LOS ANGELES -- After sitting out Friday's win over Portland with swelling in his right knee, Celtics reserve guard Mickael Pietrus is back on the active roster for Sunday's tilt with the Lakers.

"I'm good, I'm back ... it’s nothing major, just something we had to take care of," said Pietrus.

Pietrus underwent surgery on his right knee in the offseason and didn't debut for the Celtics until mid-January as he continued his rehab after signing with the team on Christmas Eve. Pietrus has often taken practices off to allow the knee to rest, but said over-activity while trying to strengthen the region for the stretch run might have done more harm than good.

"I’m just trying to take care of my knee the best way I can," he said. "I think I did too much lifting on my knee by myself, I was just trying to get stronger."

Pietrus said he's simply trying to stay on the floor for his team during the second half of the season. He did have fun with local radio personality Vic the Brick, who -- after showing off his "big game fur" to the Guadaloupean -- asked how to say "love" in his native French. Pietrus waited a beat then deadpanned, "Boston Celtics."

LOS ANGELES -- Forget the bright lights of LaLa Land, Sunday's Celtics-Lakers showdown (3:30 p.m., ABC) at the Staples Center finds itself under a national spotlight and that means it's time to activate the Rajon Rondo triple-double watch (heck, with Monday's battle against Chris Paul and the Clippers looming, consider this alert in effect for the next 48 hours).

A whopping 13 of Rondo's 17 career triple-doubles have come on national television, including last Sunday's ridiculous 18-point, 17-rebound, 20-assist effort in a win over Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks. Now, as the Celtics kick off a season-long eight-game road trip with a doubleheader in Los Angeles, the first two games find themselves on national TV (Monday's game against the Clippers is on ESPN at 10:30 p.m.)

If a worldwide audience can't fuel Rondo, maybe all the trade rumors he's endured will. Rondo, of course, was at the center of Boston's preseason pursuit of Paul, then had his name surface in a report that the Lakers and Celtics were considering a swap involving Pau Gasol (coach Doc Rivers later made it clear that the rumored Boston-LA trade was completely unsubstantiated).

Regardless, Rondo is the only player in the NBA with multiple triple-doubles this season (he owns four of the league's 10). You'd have to go back to Antoine Walker in 2000 to find the last Celtics player to record at least four triple-doubles in a season, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Walker produced five that year, matching Larry Bird's total from the 1986-87 season. Bird posted a whopping 10 triple-doubles during the 1989-90 season, according to Elias.

For the season, Rondo is averaging a 13.6 points and 10 assists per game. It might be the assist number that's most noteworthy. The Celtics are 11-4 this season when Rondo reaches double digits in dimes, but just 4-10 when he doesn't, according to ESPN Stats and Info.

In 23 career games against the Lakers (both regular season and postseason), Rondo is averaging 11 points, 8.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game.

A few more numbers that jumped out in preview materials furnished by both ESPN Stats and Info (ES&I) and Elias (ESB):

* When the Lakers won an 88-87 overtime decision in Boston last month, it was the only game between these teams over the last 43 seasons in which both clubs had a field goal percentage below 40 percent (Lakers 39.6 percent; Celtics 39.2 percent). (ESB)

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LOS ANGELES -- The Boston Celtics (21-18, 5-10 away) kick off a season-long eight-game road trip with a rivalry matchup on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers (24-16, 17-2 home) at the Staples Center (3:30 p.m., ABC). One month ago, the Lakers emerged with an overtime triumph in Boston. How will this one play out? We go 2-on-2 (with a bonus question) with Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles' Land O'Lakers blog to preview the matchup.

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1. Besides Kobe's mask and Rondo's headband, what's different about the team you cover since the Lakers defeated the Celtics a month ago?

Kamenetzky: Had you asked between Sunday's win over Miami and the mid-week losses to Detroit and Washington, I'd have said increased solidarity as a group, an increase in their ability to work inside Mike Brown's system, and a coaching staff's recognition of where they needed to meet players halfway. Now? I don't know how much different they are. We all know their Big Three is still elite level, we all know players 4-14... um, aren't. The week's events revived every question about the team's future, Brown's creativity offensively and ability to control Kobe Bryant, and so on. Fun stuff.

Forsberg: The Lakers loss started a gruesome spiral for Boston that saw them lose seven of eight, including five in a row before the All-Star break. The team was physically battered and mentally bruised and most in Boston wanted the team blown up before the second half of the season started. All the while, Doc Rivers preached patience and said the team would find out who they are when they were whole again after the break. Sure enough, Boston has won six of seven, including the first five out of the gates in the second half, and there's renewed confidence about this group (despite an eyesore in Philly where Boston essentially conceded the Atlantic Division) and suddenly everyone wonders if the Celtics will be buyers instead of sellers at the deadline.

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BOSTON -- The Celtics could have used that Troy Murphy last season.

Murphy, who spent three unproductive months with the Celtics at the end of the 2010-11 campaign, was back in town Thursday night with the Los Angeles Lakers and, despite missing four of the five shots he put up, chipped in nine rebounds, two points, two steals, and a blocked shot over 24 minutes off the bench to aid the Lakers in a 88-87 overtime triumph at TD Garden.

The Celtics signed Murphy off the buyout scrapheap last March, but never lived up to the expectations bestowed upon him given his previous NBA resume. In 17 games with the Celtics, Murphy averaged just 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per game, and shot a mere 10 percent from 3-point nation.

Murphy reflected on his brief stint in Boston prior to Thursday's game, including why he was unable to live up to the expectations that were set.

"I mean, I think just coming in here, I hadn't played in a long time," said Murphy, who had a falling out with the New Jersey Nets in the opening months of last season that kept him out of game action for an extended period. "And then coming in here, it was towards the end [of the season]. I didn't perform the way I feel like I could have and I think not being healthy and everything like that had a lot to do with it."

Murphy sprained his right ankle just three weeks into his tenure with Boston, which kept him out of six consecutive games and further derailed his entire acclimation process.

"I look back on it because I look at a team that I really wanted to [play well for] when I was there," said Murphy. "I wanted to really contribute, and physically, I wasn't right and I wasn't able to do it, and there wasn't enough time to kind of get there. It's like a missed opportunity. It's a great organization, and there's really nothing you can do about it. It is kind of what it is."

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BOSTON -- Rapid reaction after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 88-87 in overtime Thursday night at TD Garden:

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 27 points on 11-of-24 shooting, while Pau Gasol added 25 points on 12-of-20 shooting with 14 rebounds as the visiting Lakers escaped the Garden with another regular-season triumph. The game wasn't short on excitement, spilling into overtime, where Paul Pierce's step-back jumper in the final seconds was off the mark (and Gasol blocked Ray Allen's potential putback before the buzzer). Pierce had made consecutive jumpers, including a 3-pointer with 1:51 to go that put Boston out front by a point, but Andrew Bynum's tip-in (off his seventh offensive rebound of the night and 17th overall) proved to be the different with 89 seconds to go. Allen finished with a team-high 22 points, while Pierce chipped in 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

FREE BASKETBALL!
Neither team could separate in the fourth quarter. It was a one-possession game the entire frame with the teams simply going back and forth at each other over the final five minutes. Mickael Pietrus made a 3-pointer to put Boston out front 77-75 with 4:33 to go and Kobe Bryant answered with a fadeaway at the other end to tie the game. Rondo produced a teardrop, but Andrew Bynum answered with a three-point play to put the Lakers back out front. Coming out of a timeout, Ray Allen drilled a 3-pointer to push Boston back ahead, but Gasol tipped in a Bryant miss with 9.8 seconds to go to tie the game at 82. The Celtics had one last gasp, but a final play for Allen fizzled when Pierce couldn't pull the trigger on the pass and Pietrus was forced to chuck a prayer from deep beyond the arc.

PATRIOTS-PALOOZA
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft sat next to Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, while players Rob Gronkowski, Vince Wilfork, Patrick Chung, Julian Edelman, Brandon Spikes, Devin McCourty, Sterling Moore, and Tiquan Underwood were in attendance as well. The crowd showered them with a standing ovation after a handful of players and Kraft were shown on the JumboTron with a congratulatory message for their Super Bowl appearance.

BRYANT STARTS SLOW, HEATS UP FAST
Bryant went the first nine minutes without a field goal (or even an attempt), but got going in a hurry late in the first quarter. He scored seven points over the final three minutes of the frame and was a quietly efficient 4-of-6 shooting for 11 points before the break. He put up 10 shots in the third quarter, while scoring 12 points to help the Lakers carry a three-point lead into the final period. Bryant hit a number of big shots down the stretch when his team needed them, particularly off fadeaway jumpers.

ROTATION WATCH
With Avery Bradley dressed, but unable to play, Doc Rivers leaned on E'Twaun Moore to spell Rondo, and the rookie second-round pick chipped in 8:36 of floor time, missing the only shot he took (and finishing minus-7 in plus/minus). Marquis Daniels, in his first game back from a mild right ankle sprain and pressed into action with Sasha Pavlovic suffering a setback with his injured left wrist, got a minute in the first half, but was quickly pulled and did not return.

WHAT IT MEANS
The Lakers snap the Celtics' season-high five-game winning streak. Boston had won nine of its previous 10 before this defeat. The Celtics have a tough turnaround coming off a rivalry game that spilled into overtime and will fly to Toronto for a matchup Friday night against the Raptors. Boston then returns home for a Sunday showdown against the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers looked like a team that needed it more on Thursday and the battle of the boards proved to be the difference again in this matchup (the Lakers finished with a 55-45 edge overall, and produced 24 second-chance points off 15 offensive boards).

BOSTON -- Just when it looked like the Celtics were inching closer to full health (or what passes for such in this condensed season), the team suffered a couple of minor setbacks with their bench this week.

Reserve swingman Sasha Pavlovic suffered a flare-up with a left wrist injury suffered in training camp (one that limited him early in the season) and he is out for Thursday's visit from the Los Angeles Lakers. The team will activate Marquis Daniels, who is still working his way back from a mild right ankle sprain, even though Rivers was uncertain if he'll be able to play.

"[It's Pavlovic's] wrist again; flared back up, so he’s out," said Rivers. "We’re going to activate Marquis and maybe have to play him. I don’t know if he’s ready yet or not, but we’re going to have to play someone."

Rivers also hinted that another player might be out, but hesitated to name him. Celtics radio play-by-play man Sean Grande reported before the game that Avery Bradley would dress, but not play.

The Celtics remain without Keyon Dooling (right hip pointer, sore right knee) who has essentially been sidelined since mid-January due to his injuries (he appeared in one game on Jan. 26 before suffering the hip pointer in the first half against Orlando).

Basketball's finest rivalry takes center stage when the Los Angeles Lakers (14-11, 3-9 away) visit the Boston Celtics (14-10, 10-6 home) on Thursday night at TD Garden (8 p.m., TNT). To preview the matchup, we play a game of 3-on-3 with our good friends, the Kamenetzky brothers, Brian and Andy, who host the Land O'Lakers blog at ESPN Los Angeles.

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1. What matchup are you looking most forward to seeing?

B.Kamenetzky: Pau Gasol vs. Kevin Garnett. Pau’s output against what will surely be an extra yappy, extra chest-puffy K.G. will get the attention, and Gasol needs to produce more efficiently (eight of last 12 games with FG% at 45 or below). If he doesn’t, LAL will have to find alternative options against a top end defensive squad. Meanwhile, Garnett’s scoring has picked up, but Gasol has held opposing PF’s to a respectable PER (14). If one goes off at the expense of the other, a victory for his team is highly likely.

A.Kamenetzky: Paul Pierce vs. Metta World Peace. There have been signs, albeit inconsistent, of MWP getting his defensive mojo back. Most recently in Denver, he did the lion's share of working limiting Danilo Gallinari to just six points. Of course, there are also games where his defense is as ineffective as his offense, which renders MWP a total non-factor. The Lakers need Paul Pierce kept in check, and much of that responsibility falls on MWP. We'll see if he's up for the task against a potential All-Star.

Forsberg: Kobe Bryant vs. Mickael Pietrus: We sorta know how the starters match up, so I'm interested to see if Pietrus can be a Tony Allen-like Kobe stopper off the bench. Pietrus has been spectacular for Boston since being picked up on Christmas Eve after the Suns released him. And Pietrus supposedly said this summer that Bryant wanted him on the Lakers, so that adds a bit of intrigue. (Runner-up matchup: Troy Murphy vs. Anybody. Really, he's one of the Lakers' top reserves this season?!)

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Can we blame Obama for this, too? Celtics guard Rajon Rondo dons Lakers' colors -- even if just momentarily -- in an advertisement for Champ Sports (spoiler alert: Rondo quickly shakes off the Lakers' duds -- QuickChange style -- to get back in green):

Check out the full video after the jump.

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Like Kobe Bryant, certain Celtics stars are known to hit the gym following a rough game. They might have wanted to after Friday's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers:

--CELTICS NO STRANGER TO OVERTIME--

There's a sign-in sheet near the entrance of the Boston Celtics' practice facility, and more often than you'd imagine, coach Doc Rivers will arrive the morning after a game to find Ray Allen's or Paul Pierce's name scribbled at the top with a timestamp past midnight.... "I know there's been many times when, after games, I hear in the morning that guys went straight to Waltham to shoot," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

While Rivers said he was a fan of what Bryant did because of the positive message it sent to kids, he did stress that he wouldn't have allowed any such action on the TD Garden floor. Particularly not for an hour and a half.

"Turn the lights out," Rivers joked. "No doubt about it. The lights have to go out."

LOS ANGELES -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers knows newcomers Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic have had to absorb a lot of information over the last 24 hours, so his instructions to them before Saturday's tilt with the Los Angeles Clippers was simple: Go play.

"I told them both: Just play hard," said Rivers. "Play free. If you're open, shoot. Don't try to fit in, we'll fit in -- we'll figure it out. Right now, we just have to try to win a couple games and slowly get some practices under our belt to get them integrated more. So go for it, just go out and play."

As Rivers indicated at this morning's shootaround on the campus of UCLA, Krstic will start at center, while Green will come off the bench. He won't limit their minutes unless their unfamiliarity with the system is working against the Celtics. Regardless, Rivers knows there's going to be some bumps as the new players get comfortable, particularly in their Boston debuts.

But he doesn't want them to use that as an excuse to lose games.

"I told our guys, we're not managing anything," said Rivers. "We're still trying to win the games, as many as we can. We still want homecourt. We know it’ll be more difficult now and we're going to lose some rhythm here, but we still want to win the games while learning [and] not use this as an excuse to not win games."

With Boston's deadline moves raising eyebrows around the league, but especially in Los Angeles where so much has been made about how the lack of having center Kendrick Perkins cost Boston a world title in Games 6 and 7 of the NBA Finals in June, Rivers was asked if he was surprised by the reaction to the Celtics' bold moves.

"We don't make moves to worry about what people think, if you want me to be honest," said Rivers. "We make moves to try to win championships."