EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Not even LeBron James could put the Lakers back on the right path, and turns out their defense was still hobbled.

The Lakers continued to be over generous on the defensive end and were flattened by the Boston Celtics, 130 - 108, Friday at TD Garden.

Jason Tatum scored 37 points as the Celtics poked more holes into the Lakers’ season.

Many experts thought the Lakers’ success would be based on the synergy between James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis. No doubt, it is never as easy as it sounds to get three superstars to co-exist and determine how to play to each other’s strengths, but a bigger must-have for the Lakers right now is their defense.

Boston easily won the battle in the paint, 56-36, underscoring a major sore spot. The Lakers entered the night as the second-worst team in allowing points in the paint. They did not help their case Friday.

On top of it all, the Celtics did their damage without two starters, including dynamic guard Jaylen Brown, who was sidelined by a strained hamstring.

“We damn sure need to play better,” James said matter-of-factly. “There’s no level of panic but there should be a sense of urgency any time we hit the floor.”

Frank Vogel, the defensive-minded coach of the Lakers, suggested that players would not have much of a role on this team if they did not play defense.

“We didn’t get it done anywhere near the level we needed to on the defensive side of the ball,” Vogel said.

“We can be an elite defensive team. We’ve got great defenders. But we’ve got to be able to do it as a collective and that’s what we’re lacking,” added Davis.

There was also the now-familiar issue of the third quarter. The Lakers, it almost goes without saying, were outscored in the quarter, 33-21, as their one-point halftime lead disappeared.

“That’s been our kryptonite all season,” Davis said.

James was efficient in his return from a strained abdomen. He scored 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting and did not look like a player who missed the previous eight games. Yet the Lakers (8-9) fell a game below .500, an unexpected spot a month into the season.

Davis scored 15 of his 31 points in the first quarter as the Lakers led by as many as 14. That is sometimes too early to hold a decisive lead in the NBA. It definitely was the case Friday.

Talen Horton-Tucker came into the game on a nice three-game run but failed to hit a basket and finished with two points on a pair of first-quarter free throws.

It will apparently take some time to get acclimated to the Lakers’ Big Three playing together.