The Celtics wasted no time burying the Lakers on Friday night at TD Garden, rolling to a 126-105 win and stretching their winning streak to four games.

Boston moved to 14-9 with the victory, while Los Angeles - missing several core players - fell to 16-6 amid a congested Western Conference race.

The tone was set immediately.

Boston blitzed the Lakers with a torrent of early offense, racing out to a lead that ballooned to 29 points before halftime. Los Angeles looked overmatched from the opening tip, and without its usual star power, simply couldn’t generate the scoring punch required to keep pace with a Celtics team hitting from everywhere.

To their credit, the Lakers briefly clawed back.

They cut the deficit to 15 heading into the fourth quarter, threatening to at least make the Garden crowd sweat. But any hope of a miracle rally evaporated within minutes. The Celtics opened the final frame on a 9-0 burst, restoring order and shutting the door on the comeback before it ever truly materialized.

Austin Reaves did everything he could to drag LA back into contention, erupting for 36 points and 8 assists as the focal point of the offense. But with LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Marcus Smart all sidelined, the Lakers’ margin for error was microscopic - and Boston ensured they never came close to pushing the limits.

Jaylen Brown, returning from a one-game absence due to a reported illness, paced the Celtics with a well-rounded 30-8-8 outing, attacking the rim, finding open shooters, and owning the pace throughout.

Derrick White added 19 points and knocked down five threes, part of a torrid perimeter performance from the team as a whole. Boston finished 24 for 45 from deep, a blistering 53.3%, with seven players connecting on multiple triples.

The Celtics will travel next to Toronto for a 3:30 p.m. matchup on Sunday - their final contest before the NBA Cup schedule gives them a short break.

Here are four takeaways from Boston’s decisive win:

1. Offense, Offense, Offense:

Fresh off a 146-point outburst against Washington, Boston delivered another offensive clinic.

The ball rarely stuck, the spacing was pristine, and the threes fell in waves. When the Celtics are shooting at this level, they become nearly impossible to chase down.

Reaves may have caught fire, but the Lakers never had the firepower to match Boston shot for shot.

If Boston is going to shoot like this, it’s going to take more than a one-man-show led by Austin Reaves to take them down. Respectfully.

2. Arrow Officially Pointed Up:

After a sluggish opening stretch to the season, the Celtics have quietly become one of the league’s hottest teams, winning 9 of their last 11 and entering Friday with a top-five net rating.

Even when short-handed, their depth has plugged holes and kept the momentum rolling.

It’s still early, but Boston is increasingly looking like a team rounding into form.

Just two weeks ago, I was questioning this team’s effort after an embarrassing loss to the Nets - a loss that had Brown calling out his teammates in the postgame. It appears that call-out worked, as a mix of starters and role players have stepped up in a way that has me thinking this team could be a real contender in the Eastern Conference.

3. Another Night, Another Noteworthy Performance for Jordan Walsh:

The third-year forward is taking full advantage of his expanded role.

Walsh delivered 17 points on 6 of 7 shooting, showed improved decision-making, and even flashed some off-the-dribble creation.

The game appears to be slowing down for him, and his growth is becoming one of the more intriguing developments of Boston’s season.

You can really see his confidence growing out there. He’s feeling himself, but not in a way that’s coming across as cocky. It’s the proper amount of know-how that you want from a regular starter.

Add in his defensive ability, and you’re talking about an incredibly valuable piece that has seemingly fallen into your lap overnight.

…Tatum who, amiright???

4. Disrespectful To Call That A Rivalry Game:

Celtics-Lakers usually carries big-game energy, but this matchup lacked its typical buzz.

Injuries and rest stripped LA of its headliners, and both teams were on the second night of a back-to-back, leaving little buildup for a nationally streamed matchup.

The result was a one-sided affair that never truly captured the juice this rivalry is known for.

If I’m Jeff Bezos, I’m on the phone with Adam Silver first thing tomorrow morning to complain about this. Heck, that phone call probably already happened. Imagine paying $77 billion for a product, and the people putting that product together for you put zero thought into the nuance behind building a national TV schedule that should breed more viewership?

Celtics-Lakers on a Friday night in primetime? Awesome.

Celtics-Lakers on a Friday night in primetime, with both teams in the second game of a back-to-back? Very dumb.

This game needs to be treated like Army-Navy, Michigan-Ohio State, UNC-Duke - name the rivalry that gets the pageantry, and that’s what Lakers-Celtics should always be. They only play twice a year. It’s so easy to be smart about these things.

(I didn’t include Red Sox-Yankees in that list because they play way more per year - talking about the standalone nature of these rivalries)

5. Fellow Boston Athletes Fill TD Garden:

In addition to Donnie Wahlberg actually using his courtside seats on Friday (the true sign of a big game at TD Garden), athletes from both the past and present for the other three teams in town were in attendance on Friday - almost assuredly to see King James play basketball.

But, alas, that didn’t happen. They got to see an impressive Celtics victory that resulted in Gino Time, but no LeBron sightings on the court.

A sampling of the Boston sports celebs in the building:

Also, there’s whoever this person is. My wife tells me they’re very famous, so I’ll take her word for it:

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.