CELTICS EVEN THE SCORE IN GAME 2

For once, the fourth quarter didn’t belong to Kobe Bryant.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar picked up his fifth foul early in the final period, when Bryant’s defensive matchup, Rajon Rondo, carried the Boston Celtics to a 103-94 victory Sunday night that tied the NBA finals at a game.

Bryant finished with 21 points, six assists and four steals in the Lakers’ first home loss of the postseason.

Bryant committed five of the Lakers’ 15 turnovers.

Midway through the fourth, it looked as though Bryant was going to take over as he’s done countless times in his career. He scored five points in a row to extend the Lakers’ lead to 90-87—their largest of the period.

“We fought pretty hard to get back in the game, and then we let the game slip away,” said a subdued Bryant in one of several clipped responses.

But Rondo wasn’t finished. He keyed a game-ending 16-4 run on his way to 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in helping the Celtics tie the series.