LOS ANGELES — The Celtics weren’t perfect, but they beat the Clippers 117-113 in overtime Wednesday at the new Intuit Dome. The C’s again faltered in crunch-time execution, though they still came away with the win. The C’s improved to 31-13 and 2-0 on their four-game road trip. The Clippers fell to 24-19.
The Clippers were shorthanded Wednesday amid a heavy stretch in their schedule. They didn’t have six rotation players, including marquee players like James Harden, Norman Powell, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac and more. On the Celtics’ side, they were without Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.
Despite that, the teams came out swinging throughout the first half. It was a heavy offensive game to start in a back-and-forth contest that featured 19 lead changes and 10 ties. By halftime, the C’s had a slim 60-59 lead on the shorthanded Clippers.
The Clippers made shots throughout the third quarter, but they went cold come the fourth. Los Angeles went a stretch of 6:29 without scoring a bucket, allowing the Celtics to open up a lead. But the C’s needed overtime because they faltered in the final minute of regulation (more on that later). They still won in overtime, but the execution issues are still a problem.
Jayson Tatum had 24 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown added 25 points, though he had some key mistakes. Kevin Porter Jr. had 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Clippers while Derrick Jones Jr. added another 29 points.
The Celtics take on the Lakers at 10 p.m. Thursday at Crypto.com Arena to continue their four-game road trip. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Los Angeles:
Crunch-time execution: The Celtics needed to protect a six-point lead with a minute left in regulation. But again, in clutch-game situations, the C’s lost composure. Brown had two turnovers — one an offensive foul, another a live-ball turnover — inside the final minute. That wasted two C’s possessions as the Clippers went on to tie the game with 4.2 seconds left in regulation. The C’s couldn’t get a clean look as they went to overtime. The overtime period wasn’t much better, though the C’s finally finished off the win.
Stepping up: With the Celtics down three rotation guys, the depth players were bound to get their number called. In a surprise, it was Jaden Springer who showed the most production during his 20 minutes, all coming after halftime. The guard played well as his defense and activity level stood out, finishing with eight points and four steals. Springer played nearly the entire the fourth quarter as he was a key part of the Celtics’ win. It’s been a tough season for Springer to get meaningful playing time, so Wednesday was an important step for him.
Nothing for granted: The Clippers were missing key starters, but that didn’t mean an easy game for the Celtics. To the Clippers’ credit, their guys came to play Wednesday. Jones had a strong start with 17 points in the first quarter. Porter kept the pressure on as he made tough shots. While the expectation against a shorthanded Clippers squad is an easy, blowout win, reality is often different. Plus the C’s struggled closing out the game. The Celtics have had issues getting up against shorthanded teams, fortunately, it didn’t burn them Wednesday.
Marquee showdown coming up: Anytime the Celtics and Lakers meet, the nation is going to be watching these two historic franchises play against each other. The C’s should be close to, if not at, full strength for Thursday’s game since three of their guys sat out Wednesday. Notably, it looked like they would stagger Horford and Porzingis so at least one big man would play in each game of a back-to-back. But instead, both bigs were out Wednesday, opening the door for the C’s to be at full strength for the Lakers game.
- BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
