For the last few years, the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers has revolved around the same players: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. And while they were still important during Boston's 126-115 Christmas victory, newcomer Kristaps Porzingis stole the show.

Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis dominated on both ends of the floor, racking up 28 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. This was the Latvian big man's introduction to the Celtics-Lakers feud, and he made his mark with a thunderous putback dunk to seal the game.

When asked about Porzingis' value on Boston's talented roster, fellow first-year Celtic Jrue Holiday had plenty of high praise, via Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

“He's a monster,” Holiday said. “You don't really know what to do with him. You can't really guard him with bigs. You can't really guard him with a small because he's going to shoot over top of them. Just adding the firepower around him that we have, at any given moment, anybody can take over.”

Tatum was also a fan of Porzingis' performance, claiming that he's never had a teammate like him before.

“I think we haven't had a low-post presence like that since I've been on the Celtics,” Tatum said. “I think it just creates so many problems. Are you going to switch us? Are you going to be in drop?”

The Lakers didn't have much of an answer to those questions, as they lost their third straight contest against the Celtics. And while the Lakers fell to 16-15, Boston improved to an NBA-best 23-6 overall.

Ultimately, if Porzingis can remain healthy and well-rested, Boston should boast one of the best starting groups in the league.