The Clippers got a massive win on Friday night, but face a tough test today against a rested Celtics team playing in front of their raucous home crowd.
Game Information
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
When: 12:30 PM PT
How to Watch: KTLA, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – John Collins – Ivica Zubac
Celtics: Payton Pritchard – Derrick White – Jordan Walsh – Jaylen Brown – Neemias Queta
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Ankle), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)
Celtics: Jayson Tatum Out (Achilles)
The Big Picture
The Clippers finally got a win on Friday night, breaking a six-game losing streak in epic fashion in a double-overtime win over the Mavericks. It was the kind of win that could be season-changing, much like the Pistons win was last season. The Clippers certainly didn’t play great for much of the night, but they got terrific performances from James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, and the effort level was consistently better than it was a few weeks ago. Hopefully that kind of victory will help put some spirit back into these Clippers and help get the season back on track.
The Antagonist
The Celtics are having an odd season. They rank 7th in defensive rating, 10th in offensive rating, and 8th in overall net rating – yet are just 6-7 in terms of actual wins and losses. That they are performing relatively well despite abysmal shooting (33.5% as a team, with Pritchard and White both under 30% on high volume) is even more impressive. The Celtics are having a season that is almost an inverse to the Clippers: they lost a ton of talent this summer, came into the season with questionable depth, and are receiving at least “competent” level performances from nearly everyone on the roster. Rookie Hugo Gonzalez, unheralded former Timberwolves Josh Minott and Luka Garza, previously bench-warming players like Neemias Queta and Jordan Walsh are all giving the Celtics solid minutes. It is a fairly remarkable team that looks way better than the sum of its parts.
Notes
Bogi Shows Up: Perhaps the single most encouraging element of the Mavs win was the play of Bogdan Bogdanovic, who scored 21 points on 8-14 shooting (5-8 from three) and dished three assists to just one turnover in 37 minutes. The shooting was huge, and while he’s not a traditional ballhandler, he was able to bring the ball up the court enough to alleviate some of the pressure on Harden. Yes, the defense was pretty ugly at times, but the Clippers desperately need shooting, playmaking, and handling from someone outside of Harden, and Bogi is a guy who theoretically provides those elements. Him actually performing to that level in a big game was great to see. With Beal out for the season, Bogi really does have to play in the rotation – the real question is whether he should start, at least until Kawhi returns. The defense will be rough on some nights, but if Bogi can consistently provide even 80% of what he did on Friday night, it will be a godsend.
Defending the Three-Ball: The Celtics take the second-most threes in the NBA at 44.8 per game. Even though they have not been making those threes at a high clip this year, they have good shooters whose percentages will improve sooner or later. The Clippers, meanwhile, have been one of the very worst teams at defending the three-point line so far this season. If they allow the Celtics to get going from deep, this could be a long game for the good guys. It’s imperative for the Clippers to really defend the three-point line, running the Celtics off the arc and funneling them towards Ivica Zubac at the rim or into low-efficiency mid-range jumpers.
