Not many expected the Los Angeles Lakers to be competitive Thursday evening on the road against the Boston Celtics after it was announced that superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis would be missing the contest with injuries. Instead, Los Angeles shocked the world by beating the Celtics, who had previously been 22-2 at home, in relatively convincing fashion, with James and Davis both taking in the action from the TD Garden sidelines.

After the game, Lakers fans on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter, understandably were happy to express their excitement.

The Celtics and Lakers, of course, form arguably the NBA's biggest rivalry dating back to the days of Bill Russell and Jerry West. Thus, it's always a thrill for either team's fanbase when they're able to knock off the other, especially considering the circumstances that were in play on Thursday evening from Boston.

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The Lakers are now back to .500 on the season, rebounding in impressive fashion after back to back blowout losses to the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks. It's been a bizarre season for Los Angeles, which has shown it can beat anyone but has also displayed such ineptitude at times that LeBron James has tweeted out cryptic emojis in the middle of the night.

It's unclear whether either James or Anthony Davis will be back in the lineup when the Lakers next take the floor on Saturday evening against the New York Knicks from Madison Square Garden. That game is slated to tip off at 8:30 PM ET.