Banner Town Breakdown: Celtics Mount Major Comeback to Take Down the Clippers
Greg M. Cooper | USA TODAY Sports
The Celtics continued their west-coast road trip facing off against the Clippers at the Staples Center. Both teams were missing key players, but it was the Celtics who were able to come away with the 119-115 win after mounting a massive 16-point comeback. Both Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker stepped up when it mattered most, propelling the C’s to a much-needed victory.
Boston was without Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Romeo Langford in this one. Brown was a game-time decision and sat out due to knee soreness. Paul George was also a game-time decision and was ruled out by the Clippers due to a foot injury. He joined Patrick Beverley and Jay Scrubb on the injury report for Los Angeles.
Unexpectedly, Brad Stevens chose to start Walker, Tatum, Grant Williams, Daniel Theis, and Tristan Thompson. Meanwhile, Tyronn Lue started Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard, Kawhi Leonard, Nicolas Batum, and Serge Ibaka for the Clippers.
With Brown out, the offense was going to rely mainly on Tatum, and that’s exactly what happened. Tatum showed up in a big way, putting up an absurd stat-line of 34 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals. Walker offered some help later-on, but this game was all about Tatum. He was the clear leader for Boston on the offensive end, destroying the Clippers from every spot on the floor. Despite Leonard being a stellar defender, it just seemed like there was no one else who could stay with Tatum the entire game.
One unexpected hero of the night was Carsen Edwards. When the offense was hit with a dry spell, which is a common occurrence this season, Edwards was there to hit a big-time shot. He finished the game with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists, and helped fill the gaps on offense for the Celtics. Whenever he makes his first shot he seems to be a different player.
For LA, all things pointed towards Leonard. With George on the sidelines, this was to be expected, and he delivered with a superstar performance. G. Williams was guarding him for a large portion of the game, but Leonard was just dominating despite some solid defense. His dependability from the mid-range and in the post was on full display. He even got to the line a whopping 14 times and ended the game with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists.
The main issue the Celtics were running into for the entirety of the first half was keeping up with the Clippers on defense. Going into this game, the Clippers led the league in three-point percentage, including shooting over 50% from the corner. With three bigs in the starting lineup, it was clear that the C’s were having issues rotating on the defensive end, and LA took advantage of that. Their superb ball movement and knockdown shooting gave them a healthy lead. Luckily for Celtics fans, the C’s came out with much more intensity, and a different rotation, to start the second half.
Stevens chose to go with a small-ball approach, trusting Edwards and his red hot shooting. This not only helped the C’s create more space on offense. Boston was on absolute fire from deep all throughout the third quarter. Whether it was G. Williams, Pritchard, Semi Ojeleye, or anyone else on the team, the role players were playing their role to perfection. This along with the energy they brought on the defensive end made a real difference, erasing the Clipper’s once 16-point lead in a single quarter and taking a seven-point lead of their own.
The fourth ended up being very closely contested, with Ivica Zubac and Lou Williams coming up in a big way for the Clippers late in the game. Boston was getting bullied in the post and even went a bit cold from behind the arc for a stretch. Those two factors combined ended up turning it into a game that would come down to the final moments.
The last minute of the game was a whirlwind. Walker recovered from his slow start and came up big for the C’s in crunch time, ending the game with 24 points, 1 rebound, and 4 assists. He had a classic “Cardiac Kemba” moment which was followed by some great defense from Ojeleye on Leonard. Unfortunately, Williams hit a big-time shot for LA and kept them in the mix. Regardless, Walker ended up sealing the game with a couple of free throws and gave Boston the win. Their next game will be Sunday, February 7th at 2:00 PM EST on NBC Sports Boston.
