As outsiders question the leadership of Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving, his teammates are coming to his defense.

"Ask that man right there (Irving). His energy has just taken us to another level," Marcus Morris told reporters of the Celtics' recent return to form. "He's been great for us. Everybody been talking about how he want out and all this other s--t, but he's been great for us, a great leader."

The Celtics' 120-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday was their third straight and fourth in five games. Irving had 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists in handing LeBron James and the Lakers their fifth straight loss.

"When everyone's on the same page, we're a different team," Irving told reporters. "We weren't doing that consistently throughout this season, and now it's more important than ever for us to have connectivity and be together."

Many had been critical of Irving during the Celtics' struggles throughout this season, particularly due to his bristly comments in the media. The All-Star has bucked responsibility to coach Brad Stevens and called out his young teammates for being more interested in individual success than what's best for the team.

This is all while rumors about Irving and Kevin Durant teaming up in New York swirl around the league. Irving has done nothing to dispel those rumors, telling reporters to ask him in July about his future.

Morris was critical of the team as recently as Friday, telling reporters it's "prime time to get our s--t together."

The Celtics currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They're part of a four-team group with Milwaukee, Toronto and Philadelphia that could reasonably make the NBA Finals. The Celtics and Sixers are both desperate to not play one another in the first round to avoid the cataclysmic fallout for the loser of that series.

With the Sixers struggling due to injuries and the Celtics picking up their game, it might be up to Boston to get to that 3-6 matchup to avoid any doomsday series.