What a spanking! The Clippers took a lesson at home against the leader of the Eastern Conference who dictated his law throughout the match, driven by a sensational outside address.
Still deprived of Kawhi Leonard, Tyronn Lue's men struggled to find the right adjustments, where Boston, without Kristaps Porzingis, was able to take the match from the right end. The Holiday-Brown-Horford trio opened the ball with three 3-point baskets to start the Celtics. After a good passage from Derrick White, Jayson Tatum took over with 10 points in less than 3 minutes, with a dunk and a 3-pointer to conclude the first act (21-28).
Oshae Brissett's 3-pointer then increased the gap to +10, and James Harden's brief hot shot, on two outside baskets and an assist for Kobe Brown's 3-pointer, did not enough to calm the dynamic established by the Celtics (34-41). The Californians then took the water for good, facing a euphoric collective which continued to shine with its external skill.
Boston lined up an exceptional series of eight 3-point baskets in a row, with Oshae Brissett, Jrue Holiday, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and an untenable Jayson Tatum, author of a 3+1 to complete this incredible series.
The score was inevitably high for the Clippers who saw the gap swell to +21 (40-61) before the Harden-Powell-Zubac triplet stopped the bleeding before the break (51-68). But Boston regained its footing, starting the third quarter with a 9-0 run with Derrick White and Jaylen Brown at the helm to protect themselves from a possible burst of pride from the Clippers (53-78).
Apart from a 10-0 for the Clippers with two baskets from Russell Westbrook including a 2+1 to end the third quarter (81-106), the domination was constant for Boston, which finished the job by even dominating the last act (39 to 27) to win 145-108.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Celtics made it rain. The crazy sequence lasted a little less than six minutes, during which the Clippers conceded an improbable 8/9 at 3-points, to see the score go from 25-32 to 40-58. The rain fell on all sides, with a special mention for Jayson Tatum who punctuated the series with a 3+1 on the head of Kobe Brown, punished with a Flagrant 1. This is where the meeting changed. , especially since the Celtics then maintained the pace until the end to finish at 25/53, or 47.2% success. At the break, Boston already had an impressive 15/33 at 3-points… for only 16 shots attempted at 2-points (at 8/16)!
– Boston on the roof of the NBA. After two months, the Celtics have the best record in the league with 22 wins in 28 games. This evening again, they shone with their ability to adapt, eclipsing the absence of Kristaps Porzingis, where the Clippers had much more difficulty coping without Kawhi Leonard on both sides of the field. With their invincibility at home, this is what gave them their strength at the start of the regular season.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
