Lakers-Celtics preview

BOSTON — The Lakers are 36-11, lead the Western Conference and have won three consecutive games going into today’s contest against Boston. The Celtics are 29-15, lead the Atlantic Division and have lost two in a row and five of seven. The Lakers won both games against Boston last season after falling to the Celtics in the 2008 Finals. Phil Jackson can tie Pat Riley’s franchise record for coaching victories with 533 with a win today. Kobe Bryant needs 47 points to match Jerry West’s team record of 25,192 points in a career. This is the seventh game on the Lakers’ eight-game trip, which concludes Monday in Memphis with a matchup between the Gasol brothers, Pau and Marc. It’s also the two-year anniversary of the trade that brought Pau to the Lakers and sent Marc to Memphis.