The Celtics (18-17 overall, 11-5 home) aren't in a position right now to quibble over how they get them, they simply need to accumulate as many wins as possible after their rough month of February bumped them down the Eastern Conference standings. Tonight at TD Garden, they played another tight and memorable game against the Clippers (24-13 overall, 12-7 away) which ended with Boston improving to 2-0 against LA this season thanks to a 117-112 victory. Right before the opening tip-off came word that Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard (back spasms) would miss the contest so obviously that was a huge development for both teams. Shooting guard Paul George (game-high 32 points, 5 rebounds) tried his best to keep LA in it but point guard Kemba Walker (team-high 25 points, 6 assists) and the Celts did just enough to hang on for their third win in a row.
Boston swingman Jaylen Brown (18 points, 5 rebounds) suited up after missing Sunday's game vs. Washington (13-20) with soreness in his left knee. His fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum (14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) was much quieter after carrying the C's against the Wizards. Power forward Tristan Thompson (13 points, 9 rebounds) barely missed another double-double while rookie guard Payton Pritchard (14 points) and center Robert Williams (13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks) were each really good off the bench for the Celtics. BC's Reggie Jackson (25 points, 7 assists) had probably his best game of the season in a losing effort while the ghost of Nicolas Batum (10 points, 5 rebounds) briefly stopped by for LA. Shooting guard Lou Williams scored 12 points off the bench for the Clippers, center Ivica Zubac grabbed 10 rebounds and former Celtic Marcus Morris scored 10 points in the first half but had to miss the second half with a concussion after he was elbowed (not intentionally) by Brown in the back of his head. Ouch.
I rarely give out gambling advice but I have to note that this evening was a great time to take the over (222 points) as the C's outscored the Clippers 35-32 in a fast paced first quarter. The defenses both woke up as the game went along with LA taking the second quarter 31-27 for a 63-62 halftime lead. That one-point lead would remain for the visitors heading into the fourth quarter since both clubs put up 26 points in the third quarter. Boston won the all-important final frame 29-23 thanks to some timely shot making, they hit their free throws and Los Angeles' offense mostly went cold.
The Celtics were rewarded for their aggressiveness offensively as they took 14 more free throws (23-9) than the Clippers and they made nine more of them (17-8). Boston also did a nice job on the glass with eight more total rebounds (43-35) including four more offensive boards (14-10) and four more defensive boards (29-25). It's not a huge number but Boston had twice as many steals (6-3) as LA. The C's scored 10 more points in the paint (42-32), eight more fast break points (10-2) and eight more points off turnovers (15-7) as the Clippers.
With his knee issue, Brown rightfully turned down a spot in the Slam Dunk competition this weekend but both he and Tatum will appear in the 3-point contest. More importantly, the Celtics are scheduled to have one more game before they get almost a week off. Toronto (17-17 overall, 9-10 away) had their game tonight vs. Detroit (9-25 overall, 3-15 away) postponed until Wednesday because of a Covid-19 outbreak on the team: five players including Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet along with head coach Nick Nurse and a bunch of assistants are all out. We'll see if the game with the Pistons happens let alone having the Raptors fly to Boston. Let's say it's not trending well in that direction. Selfishly, it would be nice for the Celts to get that game in now especially if Toronto is in such bad shape. Like most other teams in the NBA, the C's have already dealt with a bunch of its players getting sick so I doubt they would feel much sympathy for the Raptors. PS do you think it has anything to do with Toronto playing all their home games in Florida this season? Hmm, I wonder if that's a possible connection to this mess.
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