BSJ Game Report: Celtics 116, Clippers 110 - Defense steps up late to seal fourth straight win

Everything you need to know about the Celtics win over the LA Clippers with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics got a little separation after an even first quarter thanks to 21 combined second-quarter points from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The Clippers, who were cold from 3 in the first half, went 7-11 in the third quarter which, combined with 7 Celtics turnovers in the quarter, gave them the lead heading into the fourth. The Celtics responded by attacking the basket relentlessly when the Clippers went small and built a 10-point lead. Things got tense when the Clippers went on an 8-1 run to cut the lead to 3, but two big defensive stops and free throws iced the game.

Box Score

HEADLINES 

Winning without shooting: The Celtics finished the game 28.2% from 3, but they still had a 10-point fourth-quarter lead which they probably could have held onto more comfortably had they actually tried to close out the game rather than run out the clock. They finished with 54 points in the paint, including 12 in a pivotal stretch at the start of the fourth to take a lead.

The Jays, yeah, but a true team effort: Tatum and Brown had 29 each, which is nice on a night when they weren’t shooting well. But the closing kick in this game was a real team effort with Derrick White, Marcus Smart, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams making key plays late to hold on. 

“I thought Derrick White was great, I thought Marcus had a great game, I thought Al made some timely plays, Grant, we need everybody,” Brown said. “Any given night, we are going to need somebody to step up to make a play especially with this road trip coming up and especially when the playoffs start. It's never going to be two guys against five or one guys against five, it's five on five. Sometimes we forget that because of the narratives and things like that but we need each and every one of these guys on this team to be ready, to be focused, if we're trying to do what we're saying we're trying to do.”

Big finish to the homestand: They needed these four straight wins. After a disappointing beginning with losses to Orlando twice and Indiana, the Celtics handled their business against two teams with championship aspirations as well as beating the teams they were supposed to beat. It’s a nice recovery after a tough stretch that looks more and more like a blip in the rearview mirror. Boston is the only team to win more than 70% of its games so far. 

TURNING POINT

The Clippers went small at the beginning of the fourth quarter and paid dearly for it. After out-scoring the Celtics by 12 in the third to take a lead, the Celtics relentlessly attacked the paint for 14 points (6 layups and 2 free throws) off attacking the rim. Here’s their fourth-quarter shot chart: 

The attacking early changed the game, rebuilt the lead, and gave them a cushion they couldn't give away. 

SIX UP

Marcus Smart: When the Celtics needed him to pass, he racked up 9 assists midway through the third quarter. When the defense took away the passes, he started scoring, finishing with 17 points. But the most impressive part of his night was how much he pushed the pace, especially after Clippers made baskets. 

"Just part of the emphasis. When we're playing with pace, make or miss, we're a dangerous team,” Smart said. “When you get the ball off the make and you come right back down on the team that just scored on you and you score back, that's demoralizing to them. Especially when you're trying to get momentum going and you just take it from them."

Jaylen Brown: Much more on Brown separately, but 29 points on an 0-8 night from 3 is actually impressive. He was attacking the rim and going to his mid-range when it was available. I think it’s very much time to start discussing Brown in the same breath as the other mid-range masters in the NBA. He’s very much an assassin in that area. 

Jayson Tatum: 29 points, 11 rebounds on a pretty bad shooting night. You won’t see Tatum shoot 6-10 from the line very often. 

Derrick White: His shot is starting to come back around, and his 15 points and 4 assists were nice, but how about his 2 blocked shots? The second one came on Paul George after the Clippers cut Boston’s 10-point lead down to just 3. 

“I seen that PG was driving and he was kind of looking back, looking where JT was,” White said. “So I just rotated over and tried to go get it.” 

He got it, and it led to the sequence that ultimately iced the game. 

Robert Williams: Another perfect night for him from the floor, and he had a nice 12 point, 6 rebound, 1 block, 1 steal, 1 assist contribution. But what I was wowed by was him taking Paul George off the dribble out of the high post, something I don’t think I’ve ever seen from him before. 

“I just seen an opening,” Williams said, kind of shrugging off the move (which led to a foul and 2 free throws. “It’s something I’m capable of, but most big or anybody guarding me, they don’t expect to move. I’m more of a passer first, so I just seen an opening.”

Yeah, but seeing the opening and taking it are two different things. We’ve never really seen him take that opening before. Now we have. If that's something that becomes a regular thing, then it can unlock a lot for him. Robert Williams taking guys off the dribble effectively would be a game changer. 

Sam Hauser: He only hit one 3-pointer (a big one, though), but I saw him do a lot of little things out there in this game that really meant a lot. The rebounding, the passing, the defense -- He did a lot of things well enough to justify his time on the floor. I’m hoping the touch starts coming around, though. I can’t give him this kind of benefit of the doubt too often while forgetting he’s paid to do one very big thing in particular.

ONE DOWN

Payton Pritchard: Got some early run in the absence of Malcolm Brogdon and couldn't really do anything with it. He played 5:46 in his first stint and never saw the floor again. I’m starting to think the situation is getting the best of him.

TOP PLAYS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Take some notes, Joe Mazzulla 

The Celtics were able to win a tight game against a tough team with Jaylen Brown playing 32:39 and Jayson Tatum playing 35:35. Acting head coach Damon Stoudemire let Tatum and Brown sit a little longer by relying on Smart and White to handle things and it paid off. 

He even called a couple of timeouts when they felt necessary, which did not go unnoticed. 

“He just kept us organized,” Brown said. “Even at times where it seemed like we let go of the rope Damon made some timely timeouts and got us organized. So I thought he did a really good job today.”

I don’t think I’m reading too much into this when I say I don’t think I’ve heard players talk about timeouts as much as I have from the Celtics recently. I could be wrong here, but I think the Celtics players are saying through the media that every once in a while, they want the timeout called. 

“We came out a little flat,” Stoudemire said of his third-quarter timeout. “I didn’t feel like the game was getting away from us but I just felt like we needed to regroup. I didn’t even say too much. Sometimes you've gotta just call timeout just to call timeout. Then you’ve gotta just settle everybody down and just kind of get the game and momentum back. And that’s really all that was.”

Mazzulla’s goal when it comes to timeouts is to let guys figure things out on their own. But there's no harm in just letting them regroup.

Everyone is learning here and I think Mazzulla has done a great job. But between this and Brad Stevens saying last week that Mazzulla has more to learn in this regard, I think there's a lesson to be taken from all this. I think this absence might be informative for him. 

Next Up: The Celtics start a four-game road trip Sunday night in Denver