Kawhi (Back Spasms) Is A Last-Minute Scratch Allowing The C's To Win Their Third Straight Game

 

    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.

Celtics Start Their Road Trip of Woe with Blowout Loss in OKC; Swap Lee for Bayless

Don't worry if you forgot/didn't watch a second of Celtics-Thunder tonight after an excellent NFL Wild Card weekend. Boston (13-21 overall, 5-11 away) started a killer five-game road trip (Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors and Blazers) with a 119-96 loss at Chesapeake Arena to Oklahoma City (27-7 overall, 15-5 home). The Celts have lost seven of their last eight games.

Former BC standout Reggie Jackson led the Thunder with 27 points while Kevin Durant had 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Serge Ibaka added 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, former Celtic Kendrick Perkins notched 12 points (which has to be a season-high) and six rebounds with former UConn star Jeremy Lamb scoring 13 points and six assists off the bench.

Jeff Green and Avery Bradley both had 19 points to pace the Celtics while Jordan Crawford put up 17 points and seven assists and Kris Humphries scored 14 points off the bench.

Why am I telling you this/who cares? The only reason I mention this pointless midseason NBA exhibition is because the Celtics made a little more news (well not really) off the court this evening as they traded overpaid (2 more years left, $11 million) and overrated swingman Courtney Lee to Memphis for underachieving point guard Jerryd Bayless.

Lee was here for the last two seasons but I honestly can't recall one notable positive contribution to the team. That's not to bash him either, he seems like a decent enough guy but it was just a case of a player that looks better on another team then you see him up close and realize those numbers must have been hollow. He averaged 7.8 points last season in 24.9 minutes per game yet those both went down this season on a rebuilding team (7.4 points in 16.8 minutes per game) with a new coach and system, so there.

Bayless was the No. 11 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft but he never played for the Pacers. Since then, he's been on the Blazers, Pelicans, Raptors, Grizzlies and now Celtics. Boston has always coveted him since he routinely tears them up in recent years for some unknown reason. For his career, he's averaged 8.2 points in 19.3 minutes per game.

Don't get too attached to Bayless though (haha yeah right, like anyone would do that) because he simply could be a trading chip moving forward. Sure, he could serve a role on a contending team that needed bench scoring or a backup point guard.

At the moment, the C's find themselves one game back of Detroit for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference-the sacrificial lamb to Indiana or Miami. Hopefully this trade, their recent awful stretch (plus upcoming games) and talk of Rajon Rondo rehabbing in Portland with the Red Claws (their D-League team) has woken up Boston to the fact that they need to tank or else they'll pay for years to come. The last 48 games promise to be painful but this is the only logical option if they ever want to return to relevance in the city and league.

The road trip of doom continues on Tuesday (9, CSN) with Boston visiting Denver (16-17 overall, 3rd in Northwest Division). At least the Celts can ease their mind with Colorado's finest legal weed (topical!).

UPDATE 1/7: The trade was finalized today with Lee going to Memphis and Bayless coming to Boston. Additionally, the Grizzlies get a 2016 second-round pick from the Celts, Ryan Gomes returned to Boston from Oklahoma City (but he was immediately waived) and the Thunder received a 2017 second-round pick from Memphis.

UPDATE 1/9: MarShon Brooks was recalled from Portland, he'll be back with the Celtics tomorrow night at Golden State.

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It's All About Celtics Rookie Forward Jared Sullinger On Day 1 Of Orlando Summer League

It only took one game in the 2012 Orlando Summer League that lasted 40 minutes to show why rookie forward Jared Sullinger could turn out to be a complete steal for the Celtics in the near future.

He had a game-high 20 points and six rebounds as the Celts (1-0) held off the Thunder (0-1) 73-65 this afternoon at the Magic's practice facility.

Second-year guard E'Twaun Moore (16 points, 4 assists) and guard Dionte Christmas (10 points, 10 rebounds) were the other C's in double-figures.

Oklahoma City rookie forward Perry Jones III, who fell even further than Sullinger in the 2012 NBA Draft, proved that when he puts his mind to it that he can be very effective on a basketball court. He had 16 points and eight rebounds.

Former Boston College guard Reggie Jackson led the Thunder with 19 points while Marquette forward Lazar Heyward added 18 points.

Boston jumped out to a 15-point lead (25-10) at the end of the first quarter but Oklahoma City cut it to 36-34 at halftime. The Thunder trailed 51-50 heading into the fourth.

Sullinger along with fellow rookies Kris Joseph (7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) and Fab Melo (2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks) all came off the bench for the Celtics.

Sullinger took over in the second half as he scored 14 of his 20 points. He showed versatility in his game: hitting a key 3-pointer in the fourth, make a nice spin move then layup and even a running hook shot off the glass. He was also 7-for-7 from the free throw line.

Guard Jamar Smith posted nine points for Boston while forward JaJuan Johnson grabbed eight rebounds in the victory.

The C's meet the Brooklyn Nets (0-1) and former Providence College star MarShon Brooks (subject of many trade rumors involving the Dwight Howard situation) tomorrow night (5 p.m., NBA TV).

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