Celtics win the battle of the old guard

The Boston Celtics taking on the LA Lakers used to be a hallmark game, these days it's more about bragging rights and right now Boston have them.

Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (9)

Rajon Rondo (R) has led the Boston Celtics to a 113-96 NBA win over the LA Lakers. (AAP)

Rajon Rondo has led the Boston Celtics to a 113-96 NBA win over the LA Lakers, just days after his breakfast meeting with Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

The meeting sparked rumours of a transfer to the Lakers for Rondo, but he showed no sign of any controversy, dishing out 16 assists to go with 12 points and eight rebounds in Boston's win.

In a season where the famous rivals are both struggling, Boston's win left the Lakers just one win above bottom-placed Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference.

Bryant, who scored a team-high 22 points for the Lakers dismissed the breakfast as two "basketball geeks" catching up and not a recruitment drive.

"We get along extremely well," Bryant said.

"We see the game in a similar fashion in terms of our aggressiveness and mindset. It was good to get together with him."

Meanwhile, Tim Duncan notched his first triple-double since 2010 as NBA champions San Antonio beat Memphis 107-101 to end the Grizzlies' 22-game regular-season home winning streak.

Duncan scored 14 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and handed out 10 assists for the Spurs.

Duncan, 38, became the second-oldest player, behind 40-year-old Karl Malone in 2003, to post a triple-double.

Aron Baynes played limited minutes for the Spurs in the win.

In Utah the Jazz sunk to their eighth straight loss, this time falling to the equally inexperienced Orlando Magic 98-93.

Australians Dante Exum and Joe Ingles scored just three points each in the loss.

In Philadelphia regular business resumed for the home side. After winning their first game of the season against Minnesota and avoiding the worst-ever start to an NBA season, they fell to Oklahoma City Thunder 103-91.

Cleveland also continued their resurgence. They made it six straight wins, as they defeated the slumping Toronto Raptors 105-91.

LeBron James scored 24 points and gave 13 assists in the victory.

Elsewhere in the league Washington thrashed the visiting Denver Nuggets, in Charlotte New York made it seven straight losses, Milwaukee and Phoenix recorded upset wins over Dallas and Miami, while Houston scraped by the Timberwolves with a 114-112 overtime victory.


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