I am not predicting that tonight's improbable 119-115 win by the Celtics (12-9 overall, 7-6 away) this evening against the Clippers (17-7 overall, 8-3 home) at Staples Center will serve as a turning point in their season but if nothing else, it shows that they are capable of way more than they have produced lately. I didn't like their chances before the game had even started as shooting guard Jaylen Brown (knee soreness) missed his first contest of the season. Sure, LA was also surprisingly missing one of its stars too-swingman Paul George (foot soreness)-but Brown's absence felt more vital since Boston does not have the depth of the Clippers (what a world where that is actually a fact). Even though it was Friday night, I can't blame anyone for bailing at halftime as the C's were down 62-51 and looked destined to be blown out. However, if you stuck with them, you were treated to their best third quarter of the season (where they outscored Los Angeles 38-20) and they hung on for the key victory.
This was not NBA Jam but without Brown and George, the key matchup was obviously Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum (game-high 34 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals) vs. Clippers small forward Kawhi Leonard (team-high 28 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists). Judging by not only those numbers but the final outcome, you'd have to say that Tatum won this round against one of the top players in the NBA. Tatum didn't do it alone though as point guard Kemba Walker (24 points) had his best game of the season, guard Carsen Edwards (16 points) was awesome off the bench and kept Boston in contention in the first half when they were wobbly, center Tristan Thompson (7 rebounds) and power forward Grant Williams both started and each scored 11 points apiece while center Robert Williams continued his strong road trip with 10 points off the bench.
LA entered with one of the best records in the league and until they choke again in the playoffs (it's so hard to wash that Clippers stink off themselves), they are a formidable opponent. The ghost of Nicolas Batum (16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) made a rare appearance, guard Luke Kennard (13 points) was productive in his spot start and their bench was great: strip club expert Lou Williams (18 points, 6 assists), center Ivica Zubac (14 points, 6 rebounds) and former Celtics great Marcus Morris (13 points) all scored in double-digits. Despite George's absence, this was a game that the Clippers without question should have won.
Things looked good for LA in the beginning as they blitzed the Celtics in the first quarter, outscoring them 33-21 as they barely missed any shots. Thanks to Edwards and the return of guard Payton Pritchard (8 points), Boston bounced back in the second quarter (30-29) to at least make it more competitive. I'm assuming that the Clippers thought they would run away with it in the second half because otherwise, I can't explain their no-show in the third quarter. They were much better in the fourth quarter (33-30 Clips) but it wasn't enough as the C's made just enough free throws and got the requisite defensive stops to hang on.
The Celtics had three more steals (8-5), 10 less turnovers (16-6) and they scored a whopping 18 more points (26-8) off turnovers than the Clippers. After losing to the mediocre Kings (10-11) on Wednesday, I genuinely thought that a 1-4 West Coast road trip was about to occur. Boston can ensure that it will be a winning trip with a win on Sunday afternoon (2, NBC Sports Boston) at Phoenix (12-9). Center Daniel Theis left tonight's game early with right knee soreness but it doesn't sound too serious long-term. With point guard Chris Paul now in the desert, the Suns have tons of talent and big things are expected from them this season but thus far, they've been pretty up and down (5-5 in their last 10 games) much like the Celtics. It definitely lacks the electricity of a Chiefs-Buccaneers Super Bowl but it should serve as a fine appetizer before the main sporting course on Sunday night.
