LOS ANGELES-While making their last appearance in front of their home crowd this season, the Los Angeles Lakers stayed alive for at least one more game as they held off the Boston Celtics, 103-98 Sunday in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Staples Center. With a sellout crowd watching them on Father’s Day, the Lakers built a 39-22 lead after the first quarter, while the Celtics went on a 30-16 second quarter run to make things interesting for the remainder of the game. Kobe Bryant had 25 points for Los Angeles, including a clutch dunk in the closing seconds off of a steal which gave the Lakers a 99-95 lead with less than a minute left, while Los Angeles came up with several other key plays down the stretch to pull out the victory. While Bryant had a strong performance, he also received plenty of assistance as Lamar Odom chipped in with 20 points, and Pau Gasol amassed 19 points and 13 rebounds. Paul Pierce had 38 points and eight assists for the Celtics, who nearly overcame a 19-point second half deficit after pulling within three points at 55-52 at intermission. Despite their loss, the Celtics have propitious circumstances as they have, if necessary, two shots in front of their home fans to close out the Lakers. Additionally, history is on Boston’s side as in 28 previous instances when a team has trailed 3-1 after four games in the Finals, the team that has incurred the deficit has lost in all cases. Game 6 will take place Tuesday in Boston.