The Lakers' dominance of the Celtics proved they were legitimate rivals.

The Lakers were completely healthy and inspired by former coach Pat Riley, but couldn't deal with the Celtics' suffocating defense.

LOS ANGELES - The atmosphere at the Crypto.com Arena on Sunday begged for glitz and glamour.It was a stormy afternoon as the latest edition of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry preceded the dedication ceremony of the Pat Riley statue.

Riley, the Celtics' old nemesis, asked the Lakers to include some "Boston [expletive]" in his speech to the crowd and fans filled with Lakers greats.

When told about this after the actual statement game, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla received a Red Raider Carbine Action air rifle on Christmas morning.

"He said that?"Lutfullah said with a smile."Man, I wish I could hear that. It's cool, it's awesome. Damn."

About half an hour earlier, Payton Pritchard shut down the hungry Lakers with a 3-pointer and then yelled at NBC analyst and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller.It was his sixth 3-pointer, one of his best in recent memory, thanks to his multiple-point shooting.

The Celtics' 111-89 dominance over the Lakers may have been the final point for a national audience that doubted they were truly legitimate contenders.They dismantled the Warriors three nights ago, but Stephen Curry didn't play.

This time, the Lakers are fully healthy, with LeBron James and Luka Doncic motivated by watching the franchise's past greats celebrate the 80-year-old Riley, who is now the president of the Heat.Riley's drive for his former franchise to beat its biggest rival should have only provided more motivation, but it wasn't because the Celtics wouldn't allow it.

After stifling the Lakers defensively for the final three quarters, relying on Pritchard's brilliance and Jaylen Brown's tenacity to pull away, the Celtics rose to the occasion, outscoring their opponents and beating another worthy foe.

While Mazula understands the circumstances, the star power, the stage lights at Crypto, the arena where most of his players saw their favorites flourish, he doesn't want his team to lose its crown when it faces a Devin Booker-less Phoenix team Tuesday at the Mortgage Matchup Center.This is the sign of a mature, productive team.

"We have to find a way to do it in Phoenix," Mazzulla said.

"We have a lot of competitors.They are smart.They know what that means.But you have to have an appreciation and perspective for what the game is all about.You felt it [the intensity] in the middle of the first quarter.It looked like a close match early on and we took it to another level."

The term "cousin game" is a new Matsurism, but it's his way of saying that the team is fairly polite and cooperative until the moment when more intensity and passion is needed.

Pritchard was happy to score, stunning the crowd with a series of step-back triples.There was one in the first half when he might have pushed Lakers Jared Vanderbilt a little before hitting a 3-pointer in front of the Celtics bench.Pritchard made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half for a 10-point lead, then proceeded to bark at anyone in Lakerland who would listen

Finally, Pritchard held off the Lakers' rush for a 22-point lead with 3:22 left.He turned around and started talking to Miller, who was sitting at midcourt.

"It's obviously a rivalry, so it always feels good to win and do it for the city," Pritchard said.

Asked what he told Miller, Pritchard said, "You're going to read my lips. I like Reggie. We have a good relationship. He asked me to send his son to him for ball handling [videos]. Definitely a relationship and something I respect because he's Reggie Miller."

After this game, no one watching the NBA, especially those focused on the Western Conference, was at least surprised by the success of the Celtics.They are hitting .661, have the third most wins in the NBA, Brown is a legitimate MVP candidate, and the supporting cast has improved significantly as the season has progressed.

Mazulla said he doesn't mind the constant questions on the road about the Celtics' incredible season.He understands that Jayson Tatum was seriously injured at the time and that the team was considered a play-in candidate when president of basketball operations Brad Stevens traded Kristaps Porzingis and Jr.Holiday.

But that apathy never made it into the locker room, and Mazzulla wouldn't spend the final third of the season telling critics "I told you so" when discussing his club's rise.

"The season is 82, not 55 [games], so you can't get caught up in what you did in the past, good or bad," Mazzulla said."And I think if you do that, it affects the present and the future. I've always said that the strength of this group is the ability of people to take what we need from the past and apply it to the present and make it work."for the future, regardless of the outcome.

Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist.He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com.Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.