LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Lakers battled back into NBA title contention by beating the Boston Celtics 87-81 to trim their deficit in the finals to 2-1.

League MVP Kobe Bryant scored 36 points on Tuesday, had seven rebounds and played superb defence on the Celtics' Paul Pierce to help the Lakers avoid opening the series in an 0-3 hole.

"Undoubtedly it's the leadership of Kobe Bryant out there," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "He was aggressive right from the start."

Bryant scored 11 points in the first quarter. The 12-year veteran was on court for a total of 45 minutes and held Pierce to six points in the game. "What I tried to do with my teammates is just stay calm," Bryant said.

Reuters