Lakers lead Celtics 45-42 at halftime of Game 4 of NBA finals

Lakers lead Celtics 45-42 at halftime of Game 4

BOSTON — Pau Gasol scored 13 points, Kobe Bryant added 12, and the Los Angeles Lakers held a 45-42 lead over the Boston Celtics at halftime of Game 4 of the NBA finals on Thursday night.

The Lakers were halfway to what has been an insurmountable lead in the finals. Every team that has gone up 3-1 in a series has won the championship.

They were getting helped by some poor Boston shooting. The Celtics made only 41 percent from the field and only half of their eight free throws.

Paul Pierce had 12 points for the Celtics after struggling the last two games, but Ray Allen was still slumping. He made a layup a minute in after going 0 for 13 from the field in Game 3, but his jumper remained off and he was only 1 of 6 at halftime of Game 4.

It was a sloppy first half on both ends until Bryant got hot midway through the second quarter. He had three straight Lakers baskets, two 3-pointers and a jumper.

He was 5 for 8 at halftime after going just 10 for 29 in the Lakers’ 91-84 victory in Game 3.

Los Angeles opened its biggest lead when Ron Artest’s drive made it 43-35, but the Celtics were within three at halftime after Kevin Garnett grabbed a loose ball and tossed in a turnaround jumper at the buzzer.

Boston shot 36 percent and Los Angeles 35 in an ugly first quarter in which neither team led by more than three points. The Celtics missed a number of attempts near the basket, costing themselves a chance to build a cushion.

Nate Robinson’s 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining in the period sent the Celtics to the second with a 19-16 lead.

Game 5 is Sunday. A win by the Celtics guarantees a return to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Tuesday.