Preview: Celtics Look to Make It Three in a Row Against Clippers
AP Photo | Marcio Jose Sanchez
The Celtics are riding the high of their first two-game win streak since January. They took down the Pacers on Friday and the Wizards on Monday after a Jayson Tatum game-winner. Tonight they’ll look to make it three in a row against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers are one of the best teams in basketball right now. They boast a 24-12 record which is good for third in the West and in the NBA. LA has two All-Stars this season just like the Celtics do. Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are having phenomenal seasons. Leonard is averaging 26.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists, while George is putting up 23.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. The team has been getting it done on both sides of the ball, too. They’re sixth in the league in points per game (114.9) and also fifth in points allowed per game (109.0). Despite this, the Clippers have only won three of their last seven games.
Meanwhile, the Celtics have finally been putting things together as of late. As mentioned, they’ve won their last two games behind great performances from Kemba Walker and Taum, respectively. After struggling to play with any consistency in February, Boston will look to turn things around in March. If Tatum’s big-time performance against Washington was a sign of things to come, he could be back to his old self. That’ll be huge for the Celtics, as Tatum has been dealing with the effects of having COVID-19 earlier this season.
These two teams faced off earlier this season, with the Celtics getting the upper hand. They did so without Jaylen Brown, but LA was missing George so it sort of evened out. The big storyline in that game was Carsen Edwards. He put up some great scoring numbers and helped the Celtics secure a victory. While he hasn’t been in the rotation as of late, Boston getting production from the bench will be super important in this game, too.
Marcus Smart and Romeo Langford remain out for this game, while Brown is once again questionable. More updates on that should come throughout the day. For the Clippers, the only major change to their injury report is that Patrick Patterson will be out.
Make sure to tune in to our live pregame show, the Banner Town Build Up, live on YouTube and Twitter @GuyBostonSports. The C’s will look to get over .500 tonight. The game tips off at 7:30 PM EST on TNT.
