The LA Clippers found out before tip-off that they would be without Paul George against the visiting Boston Celtics, and it took contributions from everyone to pull off a thrilling 114-111 win. Keep reading for a full recap of the Clippers’ win over the Celtics.
Game Summary
The Clippers can’t seem to put together a full rotation this season. On the night they got Nicolas Batum back in the lineup, they lost George with a right elbow contusion. But George’s absence opened up the opportunity for somebody else to step up, and that happened to be Brandon Boston Jr.
The game was pretty even after the first quarter, and that’s when Boston got going. He came into the game in the second quarter and immediately made an impact with a corner three and a strong drive to the rim that earned him a technical foul for taunting.
He was only getting started though. He hit a couple more three-pointers in the first half including a walk-off buzzer beater from about 30 feet out to give the Clippers a 63-51 lead at halftime.
Boston continued his hot shooting in the second half and he would end up with a team-high 27 points, the Clippers needing all of them. What was once a 21 point lead in the second half was whittled all the way down to single digits as the Clippers penchant for scoring droughts struck again.
They would take an 87-78 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Celtics would get closer. Some full-court pressure and timely shots from the Celtics saw the Clippers lead cut down to 102-97.
Back to back three-pointers from Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard made it seem like the Clippers had firm control again, but the Celtics wouldn’t go away. They pulled within three, 108-105 before Marcus Morris Sr. knocked down a timely three with 43.5 seconds left in the game.
The Clippers still couldn’t put the game away though, as the Celtics pulled to within 111-109 off a Jayson Tatum breakaway bucket. Jackson was fouled on the ensuing possession and split a pair at the line to make it 112-109.
The Clippers opted to foul Tatum intentionally to avoid giving up a three. After his two made free-throws, the Clippers managed to get the ball into the front court and into the hands of Ivica Zubac who was immediately fouled. He calmly sank both free throws and Tatum’s potential game-tying three was off, sealing the win for the Clippers.
Notes
- Scoring continues to be an issue at times for the Clippers. Obviously the offense isn’t going to be perfect without George, but it should still resemble something close to a competent offense. There was a period in the second half where the Clippers went about five minutes without a basket until Kennard hit a free throw after the Celtics fouled before the ball was inbounded. Part of it was being thrown off by the Celtics’ pressure defense, but the Clippers have had offensive woes all season. Getting George back will certainly help, and so will having a full lineup, minus Kawhi Leonard, for the first time all season.
- Serge Ibaka got a DNP. Since Ibaka has been back, Isaiah Hartenstein has pretty much been the backup center, but Ibaka has gotten minutes here and there including playing alongside Hartenstein. Tonight he didn’t play at all, which will be an interesting situation to monitor going forward. Hartenstein has been the better and more effective player all season so it makes sense, but Ibaka was a prized 2020 offseason acquisition. Maybe he ends up being a situational player, maybe it was just this one game, maybe he gets back in the lineup if Hartenstein falters at all. Whatever it may be, it certainly is something to watch.
- Brandon Boston Jr. needs regular playing time. He isn’t going to be dropping 27 points or anything close to that on a regular basis this season, but his skill-set is perfect for a team that has had trouble scoring the ball. He can handle the ball, he’s comfortable getting his own shot, and he showed the ability to score in multiple ways. He attacked the rim, he moved without the ball and he showed a consistent stroke from three-point range. There isn’t any reason why he can’t contribute something similar on a much smaller scale each game.
